 Retaining ones independence to move through the world. Stronger The Untold Story of Muscle in Our Lives by Michael Joseph Gross
The best thing about this book for me was that it was very motivating to keep up with strength training, aka weight lifting. The author makes a strong case as to why we all need to perform strength training in our daily lives. Age is irrelevant. Young or in a nursing home, we all need to lift weights. This isn't about being a body builder. Instead it's about building health through muscle. The author starts with Greek times and then goes into more current events with the focus on a particular individuals weight training journey. This back and forth repeats for the entirety of the book. Initially, I was okay with this, but it became frustrating rather quickly. I would have much rather the author started in the past, then moved the reader through to the present. Save the silly jumping around for the fiction writers. Each individual in the book has certain challenges to overcome. For example, determining that particular movements caused pain, the individual figured out the strength exercise to correct this issue by strengthening another area of the body. This is very interesting to me. Learning how to fix the cycle of exercise, pain, rest, repeat by understanding which areas of the body need to be strengthened in order to keep the body in balance is something I think we'd all like to know. Frankly, just about anything mentioned in more current times was fascinating trip through the more recent past. From woman in weight lifting, to runners, to the elderly, Stronger shows how incredibly important it is to utilize resistance training in order to improve cardiovascular and bone health. How aerobics, walking, and balance exercises simply are not enough. Instead, to get the most "bang for your buck", weight train. My father was a body builder. He instilled this into me. Plus I grew up watching Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Personal experience has taught me exactly what the various people in this book discovered, weight lifting improves health. It improves self confidence because you can do the thing. You feel good in your own body. It's not about dieting or weight loss or gain. It's about strength and mobility. Retaining ones independence to move through the world. Sadly, while highly motivating, the book is also lacking. The back and forth between Grecian times to more recent was frustrating. Adding to this frustration was that there wasn't a chapter showing or at least describing in great detail the various movements that were so beneficial in the various studies that were done. Finally, I read this on my Kindle. Due to how dense of a read it is, I think this is one of those books I'd like to have on audio. Normally, I like to have physical copies of non fiction books so that I can bookmark, take notes, flip through the pages at will, etc. But with this book not providing any actual guidelines, a printed copy doesn't really seem necessary. It's just a story. Not so much a guide or how-to. Granted, it is not promoted as such, but I cannot help but think the book would have been greatly improved had this been added. I received an advanced readers e-copy (ARC) of this book from Netgalley, Michael Joseph Gross, and Penguin Group Dutton.
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 The Lavender Companion: Enjoy the Aroma, Flavor, and Health Benefits of This Classic Herb by Terry Barlin Vesci & Jessica Dunham
My first attempt at growing lavender was over a decade ago. I purchased a bunch of plants, put them in the ground, watered, and weeded them. They struggled to get off to a good start. To this day, I don't know why. They got a lot of sun and excellent drainage. After that failure, I moved on. Instead I focused on what I could grow. Frankly, those first attempts are pretty hazy in my memory. Growing things where I'm at now, was still a huge learning curve at that time. I went from the rich, black, sandy soil of the NJ shore to the dense, red, clay soil of the WV mountains. I assumed lavender wasn't a good choice for my growing area. I was wrong. As I gained experience in my growing climate and soil type. I decided I wanted to grow lavender again. This was a little more successful and I learned from observation. Plants did die. Some did not. Dampness matters. A lot. Not once did I read about how to grow lavender. I most certainly should have. This is my first book on the topic. Funny, because from about five years or so of experience at this point as a causal grower, I've learned the most important information that this book provides. Had I took the time out to read about growing lavender, I could have saved myself time and money by avoiding a lot of mistakes. Even so, I did learn from them. Personally, I feel that mistakes are fine. We all make them. If we learn from them, then it's a good thing. If on the other hand, we continue the same behavior that led to the mistake, well, I just have no words for that. The lavender I grow in my area, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6b, is Munstead Lavender. It is a English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia. They are smaller plants more suited to cold weather. They are also good for culinary and fragrance. Some of my plants still do not survive the winter. I am still learning. The second location I chose for my plants wasn't the best choice. It doesn't drain as good as other areas. It's not swampy, not even close. But when it rains a lot or we get several days of rain, it simply doesn't drain as good as other areas. Because I have several plants established there, I've left them there. When I aquire new plants, I plant them in dryer, better draining areas with soil that isn't as rich. What I like best about The Lavender Companion is the stunning photography and the inspirational story behind Pine Creek Lavender Farm. I was under the impression that the beautiful photos were all taken at Pine Creek Lavender Farm. And that the photos were of their own lavender and farm. At the end of the book I was disappointed to read that another lavender farm provided photos. I'm not sure how many or which. Now knowing this, I would like to see small text with each photo crediting where it came from. The authors created such a wonderful vibe with the story behind their successful farm based business. Properly identifying the photos helps paint a more accurate picture of Pine Creek Lavender Farm. The Lavender Companion starts off with some very interesting history on lavender and it's uses. It also lists several varieties of lavender with photos. The book mainly focuses on the three types of lavender grown on Pine Creek Lavender Farm. I knew there were different varieties of lavender. However, I never knew there were so many varieties or that lavender can come in other colors. This is yet another example of, no matter how much one knows, there's always more to learn. The introduction implies that this is mainly a cookbook. Heck, they indicate that they offer a lavender cooking and baking school! While this does have recipes (I list all of them later in my review), it's not a cookbook in the way one would expect. If I'm buying a lavender cookbook, I expect a lot of recipes with lavender. While this does contain a nice little handful of various recipes, the quantity simply does not meet expectations the introduction created. If you are looking for a lavender cookbook and that's it, you may not be happy. Please take a peek at the recipes I have listed to see what you think. My hopes in acquiring this book was to both learn more about the lavender that I grow and to find additional creative ways to put it to use. Cooking with lavender was the lowest of priorities. Considering that I haven't found lavender teas to my liking, I figure I wont like it in cooking either. For me, it seems like drinking perfume. However, I know folks who simply love lavender in their drinks and foods. Because it's been over a decade since trying lavender in anything I consume, I am going to give it another go after reading this book. For the cooking section, the type of lavender that works best for the recipe is provided. If you don't have or grow several varieties of lavender, as long as it's a culinary lavender, it should work. Obviously if you do have the lavender called for in the recipe, all the better. In The Kitchen:
As you can see, essential oils are not used. The cooking recipes all utilize actual lavender just like you would use herbs. Fresh out of the garden if you are lucky to be growing your own herbs. In order to make many of the other recipes in this book, the first nine recipes should be made in advance. They are the pantry staples. I plan on working them into my cooking schedule over time. I'm most likely to make the Lavender Roasted Potatoes first (minus the pepper & with sweet potatoes as I avoid nightshades & seeds for my AIP lifestyle). Other recipes aside from the pantry basics, I may avoid or alter to fit my dietary requirements. For most folks though, this will not be an issue. Baking With Lavender:
I'm not a big ice cream eater. I don't consume dairy because I cannot tolerate it. I do like to make ice cream with coconut milk. It might not sound good, but it is amazing! I sometimes will make a batch of rum raisin coconut milk ice cream or regular vanilla coconut milk ice cream. I am thinking about making a batch of vanilla & adding a little lavender to a serving to see if I like it before committing an entire batch. Lavender Mixology:
Even though I mentioned that drinking lavender teas seems like drinking perfume to me, I am going to try the Lavender Cocoa and the Lavender Mint Sun Tea. I really hope I enjoy both. Hot Cocoa is my sweet tooth downfall. I'm not sure what I'll think of this. I'll be finding out soon. I do know that I love rose in my hot cocoa. I grow peppermint, spearmint, and chocolate mint on my Eco farm. If I like mint and lavender this is sure to be a refreshing summer beverage (minus the sweetener). The Body Care recipes are pretty basic. They mostly use lavender essential oil which isn't what I was looking for because I don't make my own lavender essential oil.
In The Home: This features a really fun lavender braid. There are so many uses and possibilities for this. It's such a simple and useful project. Great for selling at the farmers market, gift giving, and for storing herbs in the kitchen for personal use. This recipe utilized lavender stalks.
I'm highly likely to make the Lavender Braid. Being a Eco farm woman, I grow everything required to make this braid and to even make some of my own variations. I have already made my own versions of sachets which I love. There is a chapter on growing lavender. It is surprisingly basic. Lavender isn't fussy. It doesn't have a lot of requirements. Mainly, don't over water it. If anything, once established, let it be a little dry. Too much moisture kills more than it helps. Pine Creek Lavender Farm is in Arizona. They seem to have a great climate for growing abundant amounts of different types of lavender. Even though the care is rather simple, I still learned a little. Had I not already made so many mistakes as mentioned earlier, I would have learned a lot more. I love the harvesting and drying suggestions in this chapter. Naturally, I have my own methods that have worked wonderfully, but I also like how they recommend doing things as well. When I begin to harvest this year, I will be incorporating some of their recommendations into my routine. I look forward to adding this informative book to my shelves, when it is published. I received an advanced readers e-copy (ARC) of this book from Netgalley, Terry Barlin Vesci & Jessica Dunham and Storey Publishing for an honest review.  If you can move past the woo woo feel of the author (unless that's your thing of course, then by all means, enjoy!), this book contains a nice amount of easy to read general information about nettles. Nettle Power: Forage, Feast & Nourish Yourself with this Remarkable, Healing Plant by Brigitte Mars
Nettles. They grow on my little Eco farm. Mostly along stream banks in somewhat more shaded areas of my land. I've ignored them. Jewelweed grows too. That, I learned to appreciate as I tend to get poison plant - ivy, oak, etc. rashes rather often. Infusing oil with jewelweed is a bit of a pain. At some point, I'll have to write up an article for ya'll about it so you too can reap the benefits of this amazing plant without having to depend on outside sources to treat your skin. Back to nettles. Why I've been ignoring them and not the other wild bounty on my land is something I really can't explain. Nettles never really caught my attention. In research on health and wellness, I rarely come across recommendations for consuming nettle or using it topically. Initially, before reading 'Nettle Power', I thought it was because nettles weren't the sort of plant for health, pet, &/or farming issues that I have found I needed help with. Now that I've read this book, I see that I'm wrong. This left me perplexed. It also left me concerned about the book. Is this book valid? It is a bit more woo woo than I care for. While I was familiar with some uses for nettles, mainly nettle tea. Something I've drank, but don't care for the taste - at all. That was about it. Yet, it seems that if the author is to be believed and trusted, nettles are good for arthritis, allergies, the kidneys, men's prostate and women's reproductive health, and much more. Seems too good to be true. So I started to research nettles. In a general internet search using DuckDuckGo (because I don't like my search results suppressed), I did find some health claims to be backed, but not with any gusto. More with caution. For example, I found numerous sources that claim that nettle root helped with men's prostate issues (this is important to me because my middle aged husband needs help in this area). Studies indicate that nettles do help. But they don't know why. In fact, they don't even help to shrink the prostate! But generally, the root seems to help with frequency of urination and volume. Is it a placebo effect? I'm not a scientist. I can't say. What do know, is that nettle root is one of the ingredients in the prostate supplement my husband has been taking for at least two years for prostate health. What about female reproductive health? I have Endometriosis. I read about women's health in this area rather often. I'm constantly researching it and looking for the latest information. I don't recall ever reading about nettles for Endo or anything female related at all. Silly me. It seems that one can find nettles added to a wide variety of health products formulated for women's reproductive health. Especially fertility. While it's technically possible, I highly doubt I'll ever be fortunate enough to have children this far into my life. Even so, I came across some interesting products that seem like a great way to add some nettles to my diet organically and with other ingredients, seeing how I don't like the taste of pure nettle tea. Wholesome Story offers a organic fertility tea that any woman can appreciate with the following certified organic ingredients: cinnamon bark, spearmint leaf, nettle leaf, red raspberry leaf, chamomile blossom, and red clover blossom. Pink Stork offers two teas that I plan on ordering. Full disclosure, I ordered the fertility tea by Wholesome Story, but haven't tasted it yet. When I do, I'll provide an update. If I like Wholesome Story's tea, I plan on trying these teas as well. I'm a dirt poor Eco farmer. I can't order whatever I want whenever I want. I have to budget myself. Just the facts of my world. Hint: growing my own foods organically is incredibly labor intensive and takes the majority of my time, but boy does it pay off! It's so fresh and bursting with nutrition. It's not from another country. I don't have to question it's quality or wonder about how the workers were treated. Okay, Pink Stork. USDA Certified Organic Woman's Fertility Tea contains organic peppermint, chaste tree berries, red raspberry, stinging nettle, passionflower, and lady’s mantle. and USDA Certified Organic Labor Prep Tea contains organic rosehip, stinging nettle, chamomile, oatstraw, and red raspberry leaf. There are many other teas, supplements, etc. that contain nettles. I listed these three in particular because they are of interest to me. Don't let the names of the teas fool you. Just because a tea is called "Labor Prep" doesn't mean anyone can't benefit from it. Other blends I have come across contain ingredients that I don't like (licorice), or are in the nightshade family (ashwagandha) and can cause inflammation in certain individuals. I follow an anti inflammatory diet for my Endometriosis. Arthritis is mentioned often in this book. What is interesting, is that the author claims that deliberately stinging yourself with nettles in the affected areas will help treat ones arthritis symptoms. She even goes as far as to claim it cures arthritis. I'm not too sure how I feel about deliberately causing myself a painful itchy rash. But, if after doing this three or more times, arthritis is truly gone, then it seems like it would be worth it. However, the author also briefly mentions that her and her partner both enjoy swatting one another's privates with nettles prior to intercourse for intense coupling. This is one of those woo woo moments I'm just not feeling. If anyone decides or already does engage in this sort of behavior, feel free to comment. But please, keep it clean. Making salves with nettles to treat arthritis, similar to making jewelweed salve for poison ivy, is another possible method without the pain. However, the author stresses that, "...the nettle plants hollow sharp hairs act as needles when they penetrate the skin. Formic acid, acetylcholine, serotonin, and histamine held in the chamber at the base of the hairs squirts into the wound. These compounds irritate the skin and create an antihistamine reaction which ultimately clears out and reduces inflammation." If this is the case, then it seems unlikely that a salve will actually work in treating arthritis. As previously mentioned, if you have tried either or both of these methods and have or have not had success, please let me know in the comments. My point in mentioning some products and methods is that while I didn't find much in my basic internet search to back up the claims in this book, I instead found by accident, products that contain nettle that support the claims in this book. I wasn't searching for these products in particular. All I searched for was, "organic nettle". Also, how can a pharmaceutical company make big billions by suggesting we deliberately sting ourselves with nettles? You need live plants for this. As far as I know, it can't be bottled and patented - yet. Unfortunately we are in a world where anything outside of mainstream medical treatment is shunned or even hidden. As is often said, there aren't billions in profits from natural remedies. Does this mean natural methods are the cure all? No. Not at all. Conventional methods have their purpose and save lives. The fine line is in understanding when you need a holistic or conventional method for what ails you. My motto is to first try natural methods. If after exhausting all possibilities, the ailment doesn't improve, it's time to try conventional methods. This doesn't mean the conventional method will work either. But you wont know until you try. I like this book. It does need some editing though. The resources provided to back up the authors claims are mostly from the 1990's. I'd like to see newer sources and more sources that are not other authors books. I'd like to see some clinical studies and double blind tests. This would add more validity to the claims. As it stands now, the book comes across as a bit shady with questionable claims. Including quotes from long dead philosophers, poets, herbalists, artists and like is not convincing to me. I'm not saying they are wrong, but I'm not saying they are right either. On the topic of those who have come long before us, the author also provides some historical information regarding nettles. The history she provides about nettles is enjoyable, but not necessarily factual. I also would like to see more recipes for topical treatments. The food recipes are mostly unusable to me as they tend to include ingredients I no longer consume in order to manage my Endometriosis. However, I understand that I'm the minority in this area and I believe that most folks will find a great many of these recipes highly enjoyable. The author even provides basic guidance on using nettle as a dye plant. Being a natural grower and one who dyes natural fibers with plant based dyes, I'm more than pleased that this is included in her book. If you've never made your own tincture, Brigitte Mars shows you just how easy it is. You have the option of using either an alcohol base or glycerine. Personally, I prefer to use organic glycerine as I find organic alcohol tinctures rather nasty, but I can choke them down. Glycerine is naturally sweet and is wonderful if making tinctures for kids or if you need to avoid alcohol. Final note: I'm not a huge fan of the childish artwork. Some of it I like. It's mostly the artwork of the people I find off putting. That aside, at least one full color photo of an actual nettle plant would be great for those looking to forage. How fun would it be to have a full color photo of a nettle plant as a centerfold? In summary, I plan to add this informative book to my shelves, hopefully when it comes out. I received an advanced readers e-copy (ARC) of this book from Netgalley, Brigitte Mars and Storey Publishing for an honest review.  More Balanced Than Some Books On Green Living But It Still Has Some Flaws Green Living A Comprehensive Guide to a Happy and Sustainable Life by Green Matters
This book offers many ideas & solutions to try to live a greener life but it doesn't always show the complete picture. To be fair, it does show a more balanced view than some other books I have read, but the older I get, the more I have learned & the "solutions" are never as simple as they may first seem. For example, the argument against gasoline powered anything was that we import our oil which is not sustainable. Okay, but as of our previous administration (Trump) we were the largest exporters of oil thanks to fracking the bejesus out of America. Now, with our current & supposedly green administration (Biden), we are back to importing our oil practically overnight. So which is it? Oil is bad because we import, yet oil is bad because we export. Battery power anything is promoted as fabtabulous. I myself happened to adore my battery powered weed wackers & lawn mowers around my Eco farm. But what about the damage to the environment & slave labor to get the resources needed to make the batteries? What about disposing of the batteries? There is no discussion of this downside. Wind power is also mentioned. As is the potential bird loss. According to the book the oil & gas industry made up the story about birds dying. I have no idea if this is true, but I could have swore that the blades were slowed down to reduce bird deaths. So if it was lie perpetuated by big oil & gas, why were the blades slowed? Hydro (water) power. This is presented pretty clearly. Obviously creating a monster dam is going to have some environmental repercussions & should the dam ever fail... Coal power is mentioned, but no mention of the tremendous amount of environmental upgrades that coal plants have gone through, including scrubbers which makes coal a lot cleaner than it once was. Yes, it's still "dirty" but it has been improved greatly. Most of these changes were under the Obama administration. Nuclear is one of those interesting power supplies. It does provide clean energy kind of how batteries provide clean energy. As in, the energy doesn't pollute during use, but the harvesting/byproducts are awful for the environment. Geothermal is awesome, but expensive & only works in certain areas. So what are we to do? I have pondered this many times over. Sadly, my conclusion is that there is no answer. Everything we do to create energy causes pollution in one form or another. Even if we went back to when we first settled America, we had wood to burn. Can you imagine if we all went back to burning wood? Even if we never cut down a healthy tree, utilizing only sickly & fallen trees, the smog & pollution would be unbearable in the cities. Us country folks would be just fine (I exclusively heat my late 1700's log cabin with a wood stove). I realize this may not be a popular opinion, but bear with me. As a full time Eco farmer, I am exposed & in tune with nature as my job. What nature never does is have a mono-crop. Nature likes variety. This way should something fail, the land isn't barren. So why not trust in Mother Natures wisdom & utilize all of our energy resources? This way we can reduce the amount of damaged caused by monopolizing one or two types of energy producers. We already know that every one of them pollutes. But if we diversify, we create more balance. Also, every single one of us has different needs. It is not right to say energy A is the way, do energy A or else. Energy B (or C or D or E or a combination) might be better suited for someone else. These United States are far from perfect & change is needed, but to continuously tear at our own country saying we are ginormous polluters really isn't fair. China & India are by far the worst polluters & they have no plans on cutting back. They have no interest in the environment or decent worker conditions. How many items have you purchased this week from either of these countries? We buy what's cheap & in turn, we support environmental & human abuse. We need choices in all aspects. Not more government regulation as this book suggests. When the government steps in, they have a nasty habit of making a bad situation worse. Look at the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). They are worthless. They do nothing to protect our environment. It's a branch of government that we could disband & nothing would change except our taxes wouldn't be funding them. What about vehicles? This burns my bottom a bit because I heard a couple of snarky self righteous comments from some folks who already drive electric vehicles. The comments were over the painfully high gas prices. Comments like, "Maybe it will teach you to stop driving a big truck". Or, "I have an electric car, so it doesn't bother me." This attitude is naive & foolish. First, electric vehicles are expensive. If you can afford one, that's really great! You are also better off living less rural with more charging station options. But what about folks like me who must have a 4WD big truck to run their Eco farm? I deserve to be punished at the pump? What about my insanely green lifestyle? Does this count for nothing? Folks, we have to stop being so quick to judge others. We all have different lives & different needs. I believe that most of use care about the environment. Some more than others to be sure. I am one of the people who cares a lot. It drives me crazy because I cannot come up with the utopia answer to have a truly green life. I do my best to tread lightly, but horrible person that I am, I drive a big 20 year old truck 'cause I'm a poor, dirt worshiping tree huger who happens to also be a full time Eco farmer. The book also beats up eating meat. That diatribe is beyond tired. Yes, factory farmed meat is horrible. No one should eat it. Mother Nature didn't create cattle for no reason. They are a very important part of our ecosystem when they are allowed to graze naturally. The farm that neighbors mine raises beef cattle. It is one of the most beautiful things your eyes can behold. They rotate from lush pasture to lush pasture. Hay is cut twice a year to feed them all winter long. They are never confined or crowded. That is the type of meat you should enjoy if you don't wish to go Vegan. Finally, the book discusses detoxing. I used to fall for this, that I needed to detox my body. Our liver & kidneys detox us 24/7. If they didn't we'd be dead. Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water, & eat clean so your body can repair. This book, by the way, is printed in CHINA. How's that for a taste of hypocrisy?  Should Be Titled "How To Learn To Live With Weeds In The Organic Garden" Weed-Free Gardening: A Comprehensive and Organic Approach to Weed Management by Tasha Greer
We all know there really is no such thing as weed free gardening. Still, as a full time Eco farmer who's been doing this job for nearly two decades, I was curious as to what the author would have to say. After reading through this entire book, the summary really is learning to accept weeds in the garden. The photos she provides clearly show an abundance of weeds growing all over. Plants gone to seed. Frankly, it's a mess. But the author is happy & it works for her. It's not for me. The author provides very good information regarding the importance of soil health. She provides many details on various methods one can employ to build soil health to help keep weeds down. Her main objective is to return carbon to the soil. For some reason, this is something I never gave much thought to. In my mind, I am/was already doing plenty to keep my soils healthy & figured that was good enough. As for weeds, I battle it out with them non stop & after reading this book, I can clearly see that this will continue to be the norm for me. I overwinter my soils by adding compost from my Eco farm & then covering the soils until I am ready to plant in the spring. Apparently my method doesn't allow carbon to build in the soil. It does keep my soils weed free until planting time however. One of the main takeaways I retained from this book is that the author strongly encourages putting weeds without seed heads right back into the soil. There are various methods for this. I tend to avoid this, because when I've tried it in the past (simply because I was overly hot, boiling in the full sun & wanted to save both time & labor) it usually backfired. I left pulled/weed hoed weeds on the planted soils. The problem for me at least, is that they will often re-root or regrow making my weeding efforts pointless. You may have more success. I have decided to reconsider this method by doing a very early morning weeding mainly with my weed hoe & my fingers, then leaving the weeds sit, knowing rain is not in the forecast & the weather is going to be hot enough to kill the disturbed weeds. If it is going to rain, this will never work. Nor if the weather is mild. The author also discusses composting. Both hot & cold as well as some other methods that I've heard of. One being the use of a metal trashcan that is buried. There are other methods as well. I use a "lazy" cold compost method. I am too exhausted to put energy into messing with my huge compost piles when it's in the 90's or in the winter when it's in the 20's. When the weather is good, I'm extremely busy working my land. The author even mentions one of my favorite books, A Woman's Garden. If you are interested in doing more than growing edibles, but would also like to explore dye plants, medicinal plants & more, you may find 'A Woman's Garden' enjoyable as well. There is a lot of very good information in this book. Normally I get frustrated with many of the books that come out on Eco gardening because they paint such a rainbow rosy picture of it all giving me the impression that the authors have very little growing experience. This book is not at all like that. This book is a keeper. Just remember, it's not at all about achieving a weed free garden. Not even close.  Only Suitable For Those On The West Coast Grow Now: How We Can Save Our Health, Communities, And Plant - One Garden At A Time by Emily Murphy I've been an Eco-Farmer for nearly 2 decades. I'm land locked in Appalachia but I can reach the NJ shore in about 8 hours. While most books of this type aren't really suited to someone such as myself with an incredible amount of chemical free growing experience, I do still tend to enjoy them. I also like to see fresh ideas & opinions. The problem with this book is the author only has experience as a California grower. Where does that leave the rest of us in the USA? For example, the author has a list of what to harvest when. "Blueberries are harvested in spring." In 2 weeks it will be spring here. My blueberry bushes don't even have leaves yet. Harvest blueberries in spring???? Yeah, right. I harvest my blueberries in the summer. What about kale? It is one of my first harvests. I start in the spring. I guess in CA you can't get kale in the spring as it is not listed as a spring crop. Mangos are listed too. Mangos? Oh my. Maybe in FL; not where I am & not in NJ. I am NJ born. I moved about 500 miles away or 8 hours travel time by car. NJ & the state I currently reside in (WV) are surprisingly similar in climate lows, highs & precipitation. But they are still not the same. This small difference makes a huge difference in how & what I grow. It took me about 3 growing seasons (3 years) before I became adjusted to not only the climate differences but also the soil differences. Now, imagine the difference between NJ & CA of 3000 miles or a 3-4 day drive. Or where I am to CA is about 2500 miles. Not only is the climate entirely different, but we are in different time zones. And finally, don't even get me started on micro climates. They are very real. My neighbors farm can get hit with a killing frost & I don't. My neighbor had is barn torn down in high winds. I can view his barn from my property. Every single structure on my property was fine. Heck I've watched it pour on my neighbors property while I stand in the full sun, totally dry & stay dry. The author mentions learning your growing region, but doesn't provide the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone color coded map. Instead she provides a woefully inaccurate list of each region. I'm not on her list. My average last frost is May 15. My average first frost is October 15. You wont find this listed in her book. The book is well intentioned, but very flawed & full of propaganda. I am a huge promoter of sustainable agriculture but we need to be upfront & honest about our environment & government if we want to be taken seriously. Yes, we absolutely need to give a darn about our planet, but lets not use lies ahem, misinformation to try to convince others. Granted, she does stress that, yes you can make a difference as one person & this is absolutely true. When I first started I was treated like I was crazy. It was frustrating always having to defend myself. Now, I see so many younger folks on board. I'm no longer the fringe crazy lady freaking out about chemicals, the environment & animal welfare. I love seeing how generations younger than me discover a more sustainable lifestyle. However, Eco living, like life in general, is not black or white. It is mostly grey. So called green energy isn't as green as we are led to believe. This doesn't make me pro oil/gas. Not one bit. I'm just for the cold hard facts. No propaganda. The book has plenty of optimistic advise for re-greening our planet. Sometimes overly optimistic (growing stuff is hard work). It's more of a very basic idea book rather than something in-depth. For example, if you see something (plant or Eco method) that you think might work in your growing area, you will want to do further research because the author doesn't provide enough for you to utilize. Of course, in the end, nothing beats hands on experience. You can read yourself silly & gain plenty of "book smarts" but until your working in your own micro climate, you don't really know much at all. I could go on, but I see no reason to as I feel I've said more than enough. Bottom line, if you live in CA & are new to growing stuff & want to go green, then this book is probably perfect for you. For the rest of us, I'd look elsewhere unless you are the type who just enjoys reading about vs doing (nothing wrong with that, it's like window shopping). The book was printed in CHINA... One of the top global polluters (the other is India). You gotta love the hypocrisy.   Composting For Everyone No-Waste Composting: Small-Space Waste Recycling Indoors and Out by Michelle Balz
I've been cold composting for nearly two decades. I've read many books in which they mention composting & nearly all of them seem pretty adamant about hot composting. It always made me feel like I was doing something wrong even though I had loads of compost each year to apply to my rows each autumn. It was only until more recently I finally felt free. There is nothing wrong with how I compost. It simply takes longer. Mother Nature will do the work. She always does. Humans seem to have this need to over complicate everything. If you like to make it complicated, then you want this book. If you want to hide your compost due to neighbors complaints, then you want this book. If you want to DIY your own pet waste "septic system", you want this book. When you come right down to it, you don't really need this book. With that said, it's not a bad book or a worthless book. In fact, it's a very good book. But truly, if you put your food scraps & leaf litter in a pile on the ground & continue to add organics to it, you will eventually get compost. That's pretty much how I do it. However, I live on a small farm. I don't have any tractors though. It's human power all the way. Everything gets dumped on one compost pile for the year. I don't even turn it. The pile is too big, it's too flipping hot outside & I already have more work than I can handle. Come autumn, I remove the outside bits that are not composted & start a new compost pile. What is composted goes onto my rows which I then cover for the winter. Compost is pure gold. My method means I always have two compost piles chilling. Not cooking. Well, sometimes they get hot depending on what has been dumped on them. Compost slows come winter, but as I said, Mother Nature does her thing. She's got this down pat. Just don't put your compost against your house or fence or in a wet low lying area & you should be good to go. Food scraps, lawn clippings (you don't use lawn chemicals do you??? I really hope you don't), leaves, straw, hay, etc. This awesome little book provides several projects for different composting methods. You can even set up to compost inside your home. There really are some great projects including worm bins. I'm thinking of incorporating the pet waste septic for my cats waste. I currently have a dedicated cat waste pile. I use Okocat kitty litter so it breaks down as well. The thing is, the cat waste pile just gets bigger & bigger. I'm not too sure what to do with it. The pile is 11+ years old now! A note to my fellow crazy cat households, this book only discusses dog waste. For feline waste, composting is not recommended. My thoughts on the pet septic project however, seems viable (to me). No mention that I recall for feline waste in the pet septic. After you read it, you can decide for yourself. If you are afraid of what is safe to compost, this book will help you out. If you are just afraid in general, this book will ease most of your concerns. The author recommends against composting meat scraps & similar but if you have a hot pile & a tractor, for example, you can compost anything. There is a farm who even composts their animals after they pass. Crazy, but it works for them. Note that it can & often does attract rodents, so there are legitimate concerns about adding these types of tidbits to your pile. There are also some really attractive projects that I never heard of like the African Keyhole Garden. This is basically a raised bed with a small compost area inside it. Another nifty idea comes from the Viking era called a Hugelkulture Bed. This method uses trees as it's base (not live trees). Some composting methods are a lot more work than others, but they all have their usefulness depending on ones situation & goals. Simply put this book is great for the beginner composter. Even if you are experienced, there is probably something in here you didn't know. I love beginner books as they often provide fresh ideas &/or refresh me on things I forgot. When you come right down to it, every single one of us should be composting, no matter where we live.  A Bit Disappointing Herbal Houseplants: Grow beautiful herbs - indoors! by Susan Betz
I recently read My Houseplant Changed My Life. While I'm not new to houseplants, I had nearly given up on them. The book gave me new inspiration & led me to add more houseplants to my home. I anticipated something along the same vein with this book on growing herbal houseplants. Growing herbs indoors is not even remotely new to me. In my years of experience, I have found that it's just not worth the effort. They require too much light to truly thrive. They also seem to suffer more bug issues than their outdoor counterparts. I had hoped that this book would have fresh tips & advice on how to keep herbs happy indoors. To be fair, the author provides recommendations to what type of growing condition an herb will like & even some of the health problems the indoor herb plant may encounter. The problem is that none of this was the least bit inspiring. Plus, many need constant fertilizing to stay healthy. When grown outdoors in quality soil, this is not needed. A fresh layer of compost once a year more than does the trick. I finished reading this book with the conclusion that I will not be attempting to grow herbs indoors come winter. I am a full time Eco farmer who lives in a tiny historic late 1700's log cabin. Light, along with space, are at a premium. I bring my houseplants inside when the weather cools & keep them going with a lot of plant lights & cram them in the best windows for light that I have. They survive, but boy do they take off & thrive when they get put back outdoors. Also, they don't have to deal with my stupid cats once they are outside. One of the plants I tried growing indoors once is the patchouli plant. It is a rather dull looking plant, but it smells amazing. Never having had a patchouli plant before, I over watered it & it died. I have been searching for a replacement ever since. I was pretty excited when I saw this book mentioned the patchouli. The thing is, the section was wholly uninspiring & I didn't find it particularly useful. There is also a section on catnip. I've been growing catnip for nearly two decades. I cannot imagine ever wanting to grow it in the house. But that's me. The thing is, the section on catnip was a topic I am very interested in. Like the patchouli, I found the information lacking. What about photos? They are kind of artsy fartsy rather than realistic for home setups. Many photos are too small to get a good look at the herb & a lot are taken at a distance. A lot are also done as topiaries. Generally I simply found it uninspiring. Too much open space, too much white, not enough green, not enough color. My favorite part of the book is part two of chapter six. This has a really handy list of herbs that go good with various types of foods. For example, Egg Dishes: Basil, chervil, chives, marjoram, savory, tarragon, thyme. I cook all my families meals from scratch utilizing a great amount of the ingredients from my farm. This means eating is also seasonal. Being able to see at a glance what herbs I currently have in abundance that go good for soups, salads, and eggs is very helpful. There are recipes throughout the book, but I have herbal books that provide a lot more useful recipes than this. The book also provides little quotes & history on the herbs. Some of this was mildly interesting, but knowing how wrong they were about health in the 1600's, it's hard to really care about the opinion of some numbnut back then who was more likely to kill a patient than save them. To be fair, there are quotes more recent than the 1600's that are more relevant to today's knowledge. Thankfully the author even admits how short lived most of these herbs are. Many grow, then go to seed & die. Some of the more woody types like sage live much longer. I have sage bushes growing outdoors that are on their fourth year. Rosemary can keep going too, but must have a lot of light. If your winter temps are warm enough, it will survive the winter, in my region, the dead of winter is the death of my rosemary. If you don't mind putting a lot of effort into caring for short lived herbs indoors, then good for you. For me, I work much too hard at a very physical job (Eco farmer remember?). I would much rather pop outside & walk up to where the herbs are growing to harvest them for my meal. If I had a large lovely home filled with windows, maybe I would feel otherwise. If you are lucky enough to have a big sun room or something similar, then by all means, grow herbal houseplants. I think you'll have a lot of success. If you don't have a lot of natural light, you'll find you have to keep your herbal houseplants where you have plant lights. Really think about that a moment. It wont look like the photos in this book. You wont accomplish the look. Not even close. However, if you pick one or two herbs that work for you, you might be able to get away with it. Does this mean I don't recommend this book? Not necessarily. It does have it's merits & it will appeal to a certain personality type. If you can, see if your local library carries this. See what you think. If you like it, then you know it's worthy of space on your shelf, if not, well then you just saved shelf space & money.  Nice Primer If You Aren't Sure Of Where To Start The Beginners Guide To Preserving: Safely Can, Ferment, Dehydrate, Salt, Smoke, and Freeze Food by Delilah Snell
If you really are a beginner at preserving I strongly recommend picking up a copy of The Ball Blue Book. It is updated often. When I first became interested in putting up food I read many books. Out of all of them, I use my Ball Blue Book nearly 100% of the time. What this book has that the Ball Blue Book does not, is guidance on salting & smoking food. It even mentions kombucha which is awesome. I think kombucha is one of the best tasting & easiest to make fermented beverages you can drink. I've been making my own for close to two decades. There is a recipe for salted egg yolks that I made using smoked sea salt. After trying this, I decided the best way I like to preserve my eggs is by pickling them. Now that I'm older, I tend to consume more salt, but even this was much too salty for me. Even though I have nearly two decades of experience putting up my own food, I rarely pass up books like this, even geared towards beginners. The reason why is that no matter how much I learn, I almost always learn something new. Also, because I have actual experience, I am also more likely to catch when authors make mistakes in their books. I hate for a beginner to be mislead. The only "mistake" I can report in this book is that the author is a tad too anal for me in her insistence that you must use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. I understand her reasoning, but really, any non iodized salt will do. Really. It's fine. If it wasn't I would have died a long time ago. The author is very clear about the importance of following the directions & not tweaking a recipe to how you think it should be. It is very important for food safety that you follow a recipe exactly. The only possible issue is if a recipe is incorrect, so let's hope that is not the case with this book as it is with the USDA's canning book! Yea, don't get that book! By the way, the author is a Master Food Preserver so odds are this book will steer all of us true. I feel it is very important to point out that there are not many recipes in this book. There are also very few pictures. If you prefer a lot of photos in your books, you may not be happy with this. This book is more instructional on each preservation method with a handful of recipes tossed in. In each section the author provides guidelines for foods. If you plan to dehydrate say peas, find peas in the chart & see what is recommend to properly dry them. I plan to keep the book for now as there are a few other recipes I plan to try, but for the most part, there really isn't anything new here for me. However, the charts are rather handy for quick reference. If you for example, are really itching to ferment more than any other method, then please, get a book on fermentation. Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz is a great start. The same applies to dehydration. Whatever it is that floats your boat, get a book specifically about that method. That doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't get this book. If you are curious about preservation in general & want to get your toes wet, this book is a great start. It thoroughly covers all the safety issues & equipment you'll need for each method. The only thing I found lacking was in the smoking section which only listed equipment & made no mention of a smoke house. If smoking is your thing, getting a book on that topic is what you want. See where I'm going with this? This book has a sparkling wine jelly, a cranberry & wine jam recipe, the egg yolks I already mentioned, & a few other things (I can't think of them all off the top of my head) I'd like to see how they turn out. Note in the strawberry jam recipe & variations in this book, there is no mention of adding pure organic vanilla bean (not the pod, but what you scrape out from the pod). Oh my goodness, adding a little 100% vanilla bean to strawberry jam is out of this world. In summary, if you are interested in preserving food but don't know where to start, or what may work for you, this book is a great primer. If you already know what method/s you want to use to preserve your food, pick up books on that specific method & maybe check this book out at the library to see if it's worth getting. I wish you a bountiful pantry!  Excellent Book For The Beginner Homestead Gardener The Modern Homestead Garden: Growing Self-Sufficiency In Any Size Backyard by Gary Pilarchik
This is a very approachable book that is geared more towards beginners than those who are already experienced in food gardening. The author stresses the importance of just getting started. There is no reason to over complicate the process. You can learn as you go. I find this very refreshing. Nothing is ridged & the reader is encouraged to work with what they have & of course, grow what is of interest to them. It is clear that the author has a very small homestead garden. This enforces the fact that one doesn't have to have acres of land in order to feed oneself. The importance of reducing ones dependence on outside sources cannot be stressed enough. To be fair no homestead is an island & you will likely always need to bring in outside sources. However, the idea is to reduce this dependency as much as possible. Being a full time Eco farmer with acreage, I can tell you right now, that I only grow foodstuffs on a very small portion of my land. The rest is in hay or what I call pasture which is mainly for my cattle, although my birds & bunnies get a lot of enjoyment out of it as well. Growing your own food can be an incredible amount of work. This takes me back to the beginning. Start small & learn. It doesn't matter if you are growing one tomato plant on your apartment balcony, starting 5 raised beds, square foot gardening, or dreaming of something bigger. Just start small & grow from there. This book solely focuses on the authors experience in his own homestead garden. This is important to note because everyone has different climates, therefore different growing needs. This doesn't mean the information presented is not of value, it is. Vegetables discussed are the following: Peppers Squash & Zucchini Cucumbers Beans Peas Cauliflower & Broccoli Kale & Collard Greens Cabbages Radishes Asparagus Onions Lettuces After exploring these vegetables in some detail the author discusses buying seeds (I have a minor disagreement here), seed starting, & transplants. My minor disagreement is that the author feels it doesn't matter if you buy conventional or organic seeds as you cannot buy GMO seeds. While it is true that you have to be under contract to grow GMO seed plants & that it is highly unlikely any seed you order or buy at the store for home use will be genetically modified, that is still no reason not to buy organic seed. My reason is that you are supporting a growing method that is kinder to the environment & the workers. As with everything else you buy, when you buy organic seed, you send a clear message to businesses that this is what you want. Nothing speaks louder than how we chose to spend our money. I also think it's important to support heritage seed suppliers as we are loosing more of our plant diversity. To me, conventional seed should only be purchased when all other resources have been exhausted. One of the things I really like about this book is how the author stresses the importance of compost. Basically, if you always add compost, you'll likely never need to feed your garden anything else. Thankfully the author leans towards organic options should you find you need to buy soil amendments aka fertilizer. However, the author does give the green light on using conventional fertilizers on occasion if needed. I have been organically growing my own crops for nearly two decades & I have never, not once resorted to conventional methods to feed my crops. In fact, the only fertilizer I use consistently is OMRI approved to make the soil more acidic for my acid loving plants like blueberries, evergreen trees & strawberries. The author truly is dead to rights that if you consistently add plenty of compost to your beds at a minimum of once a year, you should never need to add anything to your soil to keep your garden healthy. Chapter Five 'Building Earth And Raised Beds'. This is a short chapter but still useful. Here the author shows several ways you can create raised beds & sunken containers. He also discuses how to use soil amendments such as peat moss, coco coir, organic fertilizers, compost & manures. Chapter Six 'Homestead Container Gardening'. This is great for those of you wanting to start small. In the beginning I did a lot of container gardening. It absolutely has it's pro's & con's as the author explains. Personally, I am not a big fan of container gardening, but that doesn't mean it can't be incredibly useful depending on ones growing situation. You even get to learn how to make your own container soil rather than buying a premix bags which can get expensive very fast. Chapter Seven 'Tending Your Gardens'. This is all about maintaining healthy soils (hint: compost), watering, crop support, pruning, etc. Chapter Eight is the dreaded chapter about pests, diseases, & the power of pollinators. The author keeps this pretty simple. He explains what he has found works best for him in dealing with various pests. The recipes provided are for natural methods like diluted soap, essential oils, baking soda, sulfur, & neem. The author also explains the importance of growing crops such as flowers that will attract beneficial insects to your garden. This is a method I have always employed. My crops share space with a wide variety of flowering plants which means I see an abundance of bees, butterflies, ground wasps & more. The author also mentions attracting birds. This is an iffy one as the birds can also become the pests, eating your crops. Chapter Nine discusses growing fruit crops. What the author calls an edible landscape. The following are discussed: Strawberries Mulberries Goji Berries Blueberries (my favorite) Raspberries Blackberries Grapes (something I want to grow) Fruit & Nut Trees In chapter ten you finally get to store & eat your harvest. Very basic pickling, canning, drying & freezing is discussed with a small handful of recipes. I highly recommend The Ball Blue Book mainly for canning guidance although it does cover other food preservation methods & Wild Fermentation if you are interesting in fermenting your foodstuffs. Throughout the book there are plenty of charts & photos to both inspire you & help you along. While I am well beyond being a beginner, I enjoyed this book very much & consider it a keeper. I plan on trying a few of the pest treatment methods as I do have my own. However, I'm curious to see if some of the authors methods are more successful for me.  My Favorite Farm Book So Far This Year A Woman's Garden: Grow Beautiful Plants and Make Useful Things by Tanya Anderson This turned out to be a delightful book. Eight different woman owned farms are featured. Each farm has it's own specialty. Each farm is then followed with a project inline with the theme of the farm. The projects are beautiful & very useful. I also find the book to be incredibly inspirational. It is rare that I come across a book of this nature that I find so relatable & useful! Chapter one is the kitchen garden. It features a farm in California. The book shows the basics of how to get your own Eco friendly garden started. The project is a pallet strawberry planter. Aside from growing plenty of crops, I too grow strawberries. I find them a royal pain in the butt thanks to their constant runners & the endless battle with weeds. This planter idea helps one deal with the weeds & makes harvesting easier. Note that it's not big enough for producing massive amounts of strawberries, but it is still worth trying. It appears to be a huge time & back saver. Next is a garden in the UK (Devon). This farm is mainly focused on edible flowers which is always a lot of fun & beautiful to boot! A list of popular edible flowers is provided along with when they bloom & what temperature they are hardy to. As with the previous section, plenty of inspirational photos & ideas are provided to enjoy your own edible flower garden. The projects are an edible flower planter (the planter isn't edible, the contents are), floral ice cubes, edible flower frittata, & lavender shortbread. A garden in the UK (London) that focuses on herbs is featured next. As with the other farmers, this section provides a little background information on the farmer herself. A photo gallery of culinary herbs is provided followed by explaining how to grow culinary herbs. A chart is provided for classic Mediterranean culinary herbs, varieties to try, plant spacing & hardiness. Projects include a DIY Herb Spiral which lets you create a mini microclimate where you will plant various herbs in the spiral based on the herbs needs. How to create your own herb infused oils, growing & enjoying your own three mint Mojito, & herb embedded pasta, with you guessed it, your own, made from scratch, pasta. Plants for skin care. This farm is based in the UK (Isle of Man). This farmer mainly grows plants for their known skin benefits. How to grow plants for skin care is provided, plus a photo gallery & a chart on skin care plants & their uses. Projects include how to create botanical extracts, rose petal facial mist, herbal bath fizzies, & how to make your own lavender & alkanet soap. Hint: Once you make your own soap, you'll never want to buy the mass produced stuff in the store again. Learn herbal medicine basics from a farm in Germany (Hamburg). This section provides relevant information regarding herbal medicine in the same vein as it does for the other cops/plants grown in the previous sections. Projects include growing chamomile for tea (& how to brew & enjoy it), chamomile tincture, calendula skin salve & lemon balm cold sore balm. I also make my own teas, tinctures, salves & balms. These are incredibly useful & I feel it is more important than ever to learn how to do these things ourselves & not be so dependent on outside sources as the most recent pandemic has shown us how quickly our supply chain can be disrupted. Finally, back in the USA is a farm in North Carolina who focuses on herbs for the home. For example, preserves, home cleaners & skin care. As with the other farms the photos are gorgeous & inspirational. Guidance on how to grow your own home garden is provided with a basic chart & a cute example of drying your linens on blooming lavender & how you can bring sweet pea flowers into the home for a intense perfumed bouquet. Another chart lists plants with home uses, the plants growing preferences, etc. Projects include how to make your own raised garden bed, DIY rosemary & citrus kitchen spray (hint: this is so easy to make!), natural wood furniture polish, & soapwort multipurpose cleaner. While I love every single farm (really, I do), Teresinha's garden in the UK (Birmingham) is one of my favorites because it's all about using natural dye plants. *Note: there is a small amount of misinformation in this section. Here you will learn the basics of how to grow your own dye garden. The main focus is on using these homegrown dyes on fibers. However, there is a fun example of how certain plants can be used to dye foodstuffs. This is not only great for adults but also a great project to try with kids. How to use dye plants, a chart of the common dye plants & the colors you can expect to get from them is provided. Projects include preparing the fibers for dyeing, dying yarn with onion skins (the colors will amaze you) & naturally coloring handmade soap (as a soap maker, I can tell you this is a lot of fun). *The minor errors in the section are in listing the colors of animal fibers, stating they come in only white, grey, brown, & black. For some reason shades of red was left out. Not brick red or fire engine red, but more of a soft orangy fawn or buff color. Angora rabbits & angora goats can & do produce coats known as red along with the colors already mentioned. The other minor error is in listing that cotton only comes in creams & white. As a grower of organic heirloom cotton plants I want you to know that cotton comes in green as well. There are several shades of green depending on the type of cotton plant. There is also a rich brown that one would hardly refer to as cream. The last garden is in Canada (Ontario). It features fun ways to upcycle & recycle goods giving them a new purpose in the garden, including making your own fall leaf garland. A photo gallery of creative garden ideas is provided. Some are more eco friendly than others. Some repurpose while others use nature; a woven unpainted basket. Guidance on how to create your own creative & low cost garden. Lists of plants you can propagate from cuttings & from divisions are included (rather than having to buy which gets expensive fast), how to create compost & how to craft with plants. Learn how to make your own fossil stepping stones, pressed flower candles & paper mache leaf lanterns. From the farms above, you can clearly see that the majority of them are based in the UK. As a US farmer I would have loved to see at least one farm featured that was at least in the Midwest. The United States is huge & we have so many different growing climates. Often a growing climate in the UK, will not be suitable for those of us in the US. Be sure to pay attention to the growing requirements provided to see what works for you. To be fair to the author, in the back of the book the author explains how she first wrote this book during the first months of the China virus outbreak. This limited her ability to travel. I sincerely hope she creates another book featuring another handful of women farmers in the future as I will be sure to get it.  There Are Much Better Books On The Subject Sustainable Gardening: Grow a "Greener" Low-Maintenance Landscape with Fewer Resources by Vincent A. Simeone
I'm a full time Eco farmer with well over a decade of farming experience. I still love to read books on growing things, even beginner books as I almost always learn something or am refreshed on something I may have forgotten. Plus, these books are often inspirational & especially fun to read in the winter when the back breaking labors of spring through fall are but a memory. The thing with this book is it's too basic. The author discusses sustainability, but I don't feel like he really digs in deep enough or provides enough ideas, examples, or projects to help someone along a greener path. I was also disappointed in the short blurb about organic gardening. The author almost seems to have a bias against organic gardening. Mainly he insists that it's more expensive & that's it's biggest downfall. I'm really at a loss over this view point. I can't speak for others, but to me sustainability & organic go hand in hand. Yes, certified organic seeds are more expensive & using OMRI approved products when needed is also more expensive. But when you are being sustainable, you are supposed to be utilizing more of what you have right where you are. Plus, you don't use a bunch of toxic chemicals in organic. Matter of fact, all I use each year is my own compost to enrich my soils. Acid loving blueberry bushes get OMRI approved fertilizer. Young heirloom cotton plants may get some neem &/or peppermint oil to deter aphids & the ants who milk them. But that's it. How on earth is this expensive? The meat of the book is various plants the author feels are worth growing in a sustainable environment. Many species are not native & some are considered invasive. I found it odd to not include things like blueberry bushes. They produce nice hedgerows, berries, & stunning fall foliage. Yet somehow they don't make the grade. I feel it is also important to point out that the section with the various plants doesn't include what zone these plants are suitable for. Basically, if you think one of the plants mentioned in this book might work for you, you'll have to look into it further to make sure it works in your area. That seems to defeat the point of the book. The last of the book mentions things like pests, water management, lawn free choices, composting & soil management. The only thing that I found useful to me was the permeable pavers. I'd love to have these to drive on, but they are way beyond affordable for me unfortunately. There were also a few photos that gave me some ideas for projects on my own farm. But for the most part, this book wasn't worth my time. There are an endless amount of books available for living more sustainably that provide much better in depth & useful information than this book. With all of these options, I really don't think there is any need to bother with this particular book.  The authors wrote this book with one main goal in mind; to get you to go to their website. The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers: All the know-how you need to plant and tend outdoor areas using eco-friendly methods (The First-Time Gardener's Guides, 2) by Sean McManus & Allison McManus
The authors wrote this book with one main goal in mind; to get you to go to their website. Initially I liked this book. I'm a full time eco farmer. I mainly grow food & fiber crops along with herbs & flowers. I recently read an excellent book on houseplants titled 'My house plant changed my life' by David Domoney. After reading that book, I was much more interested in reading about growing plants. Obviously I'm not a first time gardener, but for the most part I have found that no matter how much you learn, you know nothing. Okay, not really, but the point is, even a book for beginners can teach an old dog new tricks or simply refresh us on things we may have forgotten. So the beginning of this book starts off pretty good providing the newbie with the most basic of basics. I was rather surprised by just how basic it went truly keeping in line with what a beginner needs to know. However as I continued to read I became more & more disenchanted with this book. It is incredibly rare for me to not like a book on growing things. Sure, some may have some issues I will point out but generally, I find them all worth reading until now. If someone orders a book that is supposed to teach them, they shouldn't have to go to other sources for additional information especially if this is basic information that is needed to do things properly. I get the distinct vibe that the authors wrote this book with one main goal in mind; to get you to go to their website. I don't know about you, but when I sit down to read a book, I don't want to be told to visit a website for more information. I want to read that information in the pages of the book I have before me. If I wanted to look this stuff up online, I'd be online! I guess I also should point out to those "privileged" folks who enjoy cheap high speed internet & cell service that there are those of us who still don't have access to the internet unless we opt. for very expensive & very slow satellite. What about cellular? "Can you here me now?" Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Fingers & toes crossed that Elon Musk's Starlink will save us rural folks. This is the Great Rural Divide. It is more expensive for 10xs slower internet in rural areas than it is in NYC. We rural folks buy books & make good use of them. For the love of equality, stop sending us to the internet to learn more! We bought your book, so give us the info. we need. Stepping off the soap box... Back to the beginning. As stated, this is the most basic of basics & no more. No more I tell you! Have a bug problem? The book tells you to find ways to treat for them & not to use toxic chemicals. I'm all for avoiding toxic chemicals, but um how do we deal with the bugs? Hello? Fungal problem? Same deal. Soil problem? You got it, same deal. You get told certain plants have certain requirements. Some need full sun, some part shade, some full shade. Some require more water than others. Some can tolerate different climates better than others. Okay, which plants are good for these different climates & light levels? Hello? H-e-l-l-o??? I'm going to take a leap of faith here & guess that you can find out more at the authors website. Ho hum. Do you have problems with the wildlife? The book tells you we all have to deal with wildlife. Put up some fencing or something. Try hot pepper spray. That's about as helpful as it gets. Sure, fencing can keep out deer, but not just any fencing. Sigh. Deer jump. Hot pepper spray washes off... There is simply too much important information missing from this book. There is plenty of white space in the book. Too bad the authors didn't decide to fill it with something useful to the reader. Sadly, this book is not a keeper. I regret ever ordering it.  Complex Recipes To Clean, Paint & More, Some Are Not As Green (glitter?) As Expected The Home And Happiness Botanical Handbook: Plant-Based Recipes For A Clean & Healthy Home by Pip Waller
This book provides an abundance of recipes for not only cleaning your home, but also your vehicles & pets. But it doesn't end there. You will also discover how to make your own ink, paints & dyes as well as food wraps, rose petal beads, gluten free playdough. EMF remedies & more. Note: While most recipes are clean & green, some were a little surprising. For example, the author uses glitter; an environmental disaster. In chapter one the author makes the bold albeit incorrect claim that ...everything we need can be obtained from plants. I'd like to add almost to the very beginning of this statement to make it more factual. While I am all about utilizing flora & fauna, I do recognize that plants cannot provide every single thing humans need. The author rightly points out how the vast majority of folks in modern industrialized countries are far removed from nature. Folks tend to rely on polluting, toxic, man-made chemicals rather than that which can be obtained naturally. In fact, I find that the majority of folks prefer these toxic options over greener ones. As the author points out, even folks who reside in rural areas tend to fall into the same toxic trap. Thankfully, the percentage of rural folks tends to be a little lower in toxic product dependency. But you'd be surprised at just how many utilize the same health destroying products as the folks in big cities. This is not to say that everyone who resides in the city isn't doing the green thing. Many are & I applaud you for your efforts. You green city folks help educate others that you don't have to live on a farm or have a big backyard to grow your own naturally. This toxic man made dependency can partly be blamed on a lack of education as I see a greater number of folks interested in an organic lifestyle where education is highest. Should you have the option to petition your government to increase internet options in rural areas, please do. In today's age, access to high speed internet is a must for everyone. For the most part, this is a great book. However, I would be doing you a great disservice if I didn't point out the negatives. First off, this is rather complicated. In order to create many of the recipes, you are likely to need to have created other parts aka ingredients to complete a recipe. One way to look at it is cookbooks designed for living back to the land or diets that restrict certain food groups to help folks heal (aka manage) conditions like autoimmune diseases. If you are the type of person to give up on a cookbook because you must first make your own seasonings, sauces, milks, etc. rather than grab something off of a store shelf, declaring you don't have time, I've got news for you. You are probably not the person for this book. This book is work, no different really from the involved cookbook you may have tossed out. On the other hand, if you don't mind or even enjoy cooking from scratch. From scratch I mean exactly that. No canned this or boxed that. No packet of seasoning mix or jar of mayonnaise because you, my fine friend make your own seasons & mayonnaise thank you very much. No box of brownie mix for you, oh no. You get out the sugar, fat, flour, chocolate, vanilla, etc. & make real brownies. Perhaps you even grow the the plants that produce the flours &/or sugars. You are a very busy person with valuable skills. This book will add more labor to your days but you don't mind because you've got this sustainable homesteading lifestyle mastered. Okay, maybe not mastered my kombucha brewing sister, but pretty darn close. I salute you not only for your commitment, but also for your willingness to take on even more work in an effort to keep it green. As for me, I'm a full time Eco farmer. I'm exhausted most days. Not only do I grow my own, I also harvest it, put it up (can, dry, freeze, etc.) & cook my meals from scratch. I currently have very little interest in adding these recipes to my workload. Your eyes read that correctly. I'll even repeat it, I currently have very little interest in adding these recipes to my workload. Don't get me wrong, many of them seem great. But I find less is more. I prefer a mix of white vinegar, a drop of soap, a few drops of an essential oil & water makes a fabulous all purpose cleaner. Plain baking soda is great for scrubbing. A few drops of essential oil is fine if desired. That's all I use. No, really. I do make my own goat milk soap. Sorry, I know this is a Vegan book, but I'm not Vegan & frankly if you don't use milk soap you are denying your skin one of the greatest luxuries. By the way, making soap is dangerous. But it's not nearly as scary as it seems. Once you make it a few times, you'll be good to go. Cold process soap making is actually simple & incredibly easy. Really. Now that I've said the above, I am absolutely keeping this book. I do plan to make some of the recipes in my own good time. Who knows? I may even end up incorporating them into my regular Eco homesteader lifestyle. There are too many valuable recipes in this to not hold on to it. After the China Virus hit us, we all saw what happened to our supply chain. Knowing how to make our own from scratch, for example, make your own witch hazel; is critical. In some situations it will not be possible to make your own as you cannot get the supplies. But in others, it can be done. There is some equipment the author utilizes that I don't own that I am hoping to slowly acquire so that I may learn at my leisure. Leisure, LOL! Bottom line, do you want to DIY. By DIY I mean well & truly Do It Yourself. Not from a box, but from Mother Nature? Yes? Awesome-sauce! This book is totally for you my tree hugging dirt worshiper. Seem like too much work to you? Too many hours at work, too many demands from the kids & spouse? No time to even cook Hamburger Helper? DI- what you say? You might want to give this recipe book a pass or perhaps see if your local library carries it if your overworked self is still interested & would like take a look-see without the risk. You never know, you may find yourself immersed in the plant world or yawning. Only one way to find out...  The Longer I Have This Book, The More I Love It My House Plant Changed My Life: Green Well-Being For The Great Indoors by David Domoney
I was immediately attracted to this weird looking plant at Walmart. My husband told me they sell those same plants at Lowe's, but better. We went to Lowe's & I came home with an adorable wee little tyke in a teeny black pot (pictured). I couldn't stop smiling & carrying it to whatever window was sunny. I had no clue what kind of plant I had. All I knew was I loved it. Thanks to this book I now know it's a Tiger Aloe & the book even says that the plant will make you happy. Dead accurate. It was a photo of this very plant that was the deciding factor for me to order this book. The next plant this book convinced me to try was the Venus Fly trap. Again, a trip to Lowe's. They only had little terrarium kits that included a Pitcher Plant. I got three kits & so far they are doing very well, sprouting out of their moist mossy pots. I then came across another plant in this book that I never had a name for. I have owned it for 26 years! To keep it going where I live now (a late 1700's historic log cabin), I use several grow lights & have it near a window. This plant is a Spineless Yucca. My cats love to chew it & vomit. I have to cover it in winter with row cover, bamboo stakes & clothes pins to keep the cats off it. In summer I put it outside. You may or may not find it amusing to know that I am a full time Eco farmer who knows very little about houseplants. I spend most of my time growing food crops & cotton; all chemical free. I have very little time, plus too many cats & too little light for houseplants. Or so I thought. The beauty of this book is that it clearly lists what each plant needs. It has given me ideas on how to incorporate more plants that should work in different areas of my home. For example the Maidenhair Fern. I believe I can hang this in front of a bedroom window. The cats wont get it, it will get sun & I will enjoy it's unique fluttering foliage. The book lists which plants are toxic to pets & kids, their light needs, temperature needs, soil needs, which are best at clearing the air & what toxins they help to clear, "let's make babies", the growth rate, & even how they can make you feel with sections like "plants to calm & relax" & "plants to spark creativity." The goal of this book is to encourage folks to reconnect with the natural world even if all one does is care for a houseplant or two. It's a great idea. Look at me, I work outdoors & I'm in love with the book. The beginning of the book works hard to convince the reader as to why they should have indoor plants. I agree with these points wholeheartedly. We are in a world where all I see & read about is how folks, even children are become more & more disconnected with the natural world. This isn't healthy for any of us, at any age. With 50 plants to choose from, you are sure to find at least one to fall in love with. If you are anything like me, you'll easily find even more.  No Color Photos, But The Artwork Is Beautiful The Beginner's Guide To Chicken Breeds: An Introductory Guide To Choosing The Right Flock by Amber Bradshaw I've been raising chickens for well over a decade. Even with plenty of experience gained, I always enjoy reading new books when they come out. Same thing for gardening and many other farming and animal subjects. When this arrived and I started to flip through it the first huge mistake became instantly, glaringly obvious, no photos of the various chicken breeds. I showed it to my husband and he just shook his head and said something along the lines that the book was pretty pointless to a beginner with no photos. For the most part I agree. I enjoyed a leisurely read of this book while sipping a nice cuppa on my downtime aka mini breaks from working. One surprise while reading was that the bantam (aka banty) breed known as the Sebright was listed as threatened by the Livestock Breeds Conservancy. "Wait what!? It is! No way! I need to raise me some of these cuties." I thought (edit 4/17/24: In 2023 I started raising both the silver & gold Sebrights, their status was listed at critical when I ordered them). I took a peek in my Cackle Hatchery and my Murray McMurray Hatchery catalogs only to find that neither of them mention the Seabright as endangered. "Okay then, I'll just go to the Livestock Breeds Conservancy website (see resources)." I think and do. Nope, not there. The Sebright is not even on the recovering list so the odds that this birds status changed after the printing of this book seems unlikely. My suggestion is to check the status of a bird if endangered chicken breeds are important to you when considering what breeds you would like to raise. Another mistake or misprint I came across again regards the bantam breed of chicken. In this case, Silkies. I currently have my own little flock of Silkies. They are fantastic little birds. Anyway, they don't list all the standard of perfection colors. For example, there is no mention of buff or what I think of as "red". Silkie Standard of Perfection Colors: Black, Blue, Standard Buff, Gray, Partridge, Splash, White. I also noticed that breed aggression or non aggression wasn't always listed properly. This isn't as big of a sore spot for me though, because as the author points out, there can be exceptions to the rule. In my nearly 20 years experience, I've never had a particuarly aggressive banty rooster. I'm sure they are out there, but I have found each and every one of them to be either little sweethearts or posturing (non attacking) little idiots chasing around after me. Regular aka standard non banty roosters? Forget it. I've learned that they almost all become aggressive. Every single breed of full sized rooster, with the exception of only one, has attacked me at some point. Some are much more aggressive than others. The only breed I've raised that has never shown aggression is the Lemon Cuckoo Niederrheiner. I love these roosters! They are gentle giants. It may seem funny that a little feathered tough guy is attacking a big ol' human, but for something so small, they can actually be very dangerous when they have their spurs. They can do real harm. I'm short. When I get attacked (they love to attack when your back is turned) they jump & flog my hips/bottom. I do not enjoy having my body punctured and cut up. Nor do I enjoy having my clothing torn by a rooster who is just plain mean. They can also be a serious threat to small children. However, I know some folks who swear by their roosters sweet temperament. Here are the problems for beginners and even those, like me who simply enjoy everything chicken. Not only do you not get your "chicken porn" or to put it more nicely, "chicken eye candy" you also don't know if the information printed in this book is correct. This really stinks because for the most part, it is a lovely little book. I really enjoy the style of artwork and the effort the author put into describing various breeds temperaments, egg laying capabilities, show potential, meat potential, status, and more for various situations. For example, are you in a neighborhood where you don't have a lot of space and don't want your birds to bother the neighbors? Do you eat very little to no eggs? You might want to get Silkies. Do you want meat to feed your family? The author lists what she feels are the best meat birds. Here are the chapters:
If you are into chickens, this is an enjoyable read. When you find breeds that may be of interest to you, visit some hatchery websites (&/or request their catalogs) who provide great real photos (not drawings) of their birds as well as the basic information on the bird/s you are interested in. If you are interested in raising threatened breeds, visit the Livestock Breeds Conservancy and see what's there. Thanks to this book I learned about the Icelandic chicken. I went to the Livestock Breeds Conservancy website to learn more. I discovered they are very hard to get in the United States. The Livestock Breeds Conservancy website was kind enough to provide a link to a well trusted and dedicated page on facebook for this breed. I clicked the link and joined. As long as you don't blindly trust this book to be the holy grail of chicken truths and do your research before you buy your birds, it is worth the read. And who knows, you may even decide you'd like to buy a copy. After all what's wrong with adding one more book about chickens to your bookshelf? 📚 🐔  Beautiful Artwork of Feather Types on Page 116  Cherry Picked & Not Very Good At It Food or War by Julian Cribb
Food or war? The author sets out to convince the reader that the majority of wars have been fought over food. By cherry picking history, you could conclude that & many other things, but the reality is that for the most part wars are fought for power. To see who has the biggest ding dong. Sometimes as with King Alfred The Great, the wars are fought for religion rather than to see who has the biggest ding dong. King Alfred wanted there to be one "Englaland" all peoples speaking one language & all practicing one religion. He wanted the Danes, Northmen, & anyone else out of his country if they didn't convert to his religion. The author lost me almost immediately with his weak history of the Viking era. We know very little of the "Northmen" or the "Danes" from the Viking era because nothing was written down in their cultures. Everything was verbal. The first written accounts were from the monks who witnessed the Viking ships arrive on their shores to ravage & pillage. Having the view point of only one side of the story is hardly accurate & that is the view the author has. It is very disappointing. His view is so misguided he even seems to view the "Vikings" as a race rather than an activity, "To go Viking." He claims that "Vikings" fought for food. Sure, they wanted land, but they fought for much more than just food. They fought for glory, they fought to make a name of themselves to be retold long after they are gone. They fought to go to Valhalla (die with a sword in their hand), they fought for riches & fame. Sound familiar like maybe having a big ol' ding dong? I'm not a history professor, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but as the author moves forward in history, it seems like he has a better grasp of it. Probably because so much more of human history gets recorded. He even mentions when Stalin had his farmers murdered because his people were starving & he viewed his own farmers as his enemies. When this made the food crisis worse, he killed more farmers. Yeah that'll fix it! Then in 1975 Cambodia decided to try out the USSR's & The People's Republic of China's failed farmer killings & started to kill off their rice farmers. The author then continues along in this slog of a read to try to force his idea that wars are started due to a lack of food. It's a great way to twist it. I'll give him that, but common sense & history say otherwise. Armies must be fed. So a army or war can cause hunger or starvation either by large marching armies moving through the land & ravaging it's resources like a swarm of locusts or because of sieges where one side tries to starve the other. I'm not saying that food has never been a cause for war, just that it's not the cause as the author wants us to believe. He then discusses the different ways humans are producing food. Things like mono cropping, concentrated feed lots, Eco farming, organic farming, gene editing (CRISPER), biotechnology, GMO's, chemicals, etc. An interesting thing he suggests is that gender confusion has been caused by the chemicals in our food. I told this to my husband & he scoffed at it. The thing is, I can see this being real. My reason is because chemicals in our environment have already been proven to alter the sexes of frogs. This is real & it's happening now. So why not mess up humans too? With an author who speaks out against pseudo foods aka processed "foods" & chemicals you'd think he'd be against GMO's & other unnatural practices right? Wrong. The author thinks the only mistake made with Genetic Engineering is not being open about it with the public. He's all for GMO rice & many other genetically modified franken foods. Yet he is anti chemicals. But but but, GM "foods" are engineered to survive being doused in copious amounts of chemicals while everything around them dies. This is hardly environmentally friendly or good for us. It seems the author has fallen for the Kool Aid that we need GMO's & CRISPER to feed the world. He would be far better looking at all the waste humans create. Humans throw out a shameful amount of food while overeating & getting fatter every day. We don't need to produce more food, we need to eat less & eat real food, not franken foods or processed factory foods that have been engineered to cause overeating. The author promotes & encourages gene editing, farm robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, advanced pest control, biocultured "food" & more. I've already covered why gene editing isn't a good idea, how about nanotechnology? This is still way too new & nano particles are so small, it is believed they have the potential to wreck havoc on not only our bodies but also our ecosystems. What about biocultured "food"? He thinks that we humans wont like it at first but as with synthetic materials aka oil byproducts we will learn to love it. Sorry but I don't want to eat biocultured steak or fish. Nor do I want to eat farmed fish. I find all of this deeply disturbing & going further from the natural world rather than embracing it. The author feels we should reallocate 20% of spending money away from defense & towards "peace through food". This is a noble idea, but no matter what the author wants us to believe, war is not about food. When a country no longer has the biggest ding dong, another country is sure to move in for the kill & be the new biggest ding dong on the planet. I'll gladly keep that defense budget high thank you very much. My freedom is pretty important to me. But hey, I'm an American & the author's Australian so we clearly have much different views on the value of personal freedom. The only thing I agree with the author on is raising a new generation of food aware children. However, I think my view of "food aware" & the authors view are vastly different. I'm for getting kids back in gardens & farms. Lets have a garden in every school from elementary all the way through college. Let's bring back home economics & wood shop. I strongly believe that we have this massive food problem because many folks have no clue how food comes to be on grocery store shelves. They don't know that certain foods grow in the dirt or that other foods are from animals, or that an apple grows on a tree or leather is from cattle or goats, etc. The author also pushes global warming. I personally don't know what to think. On one hand, I believe it, but then many scientists say it's the natural heating & cooling of the planet. The author even points out different heating & cooling periods of the earth. This would actually support that global warming is a hoax. The author says it's not a hoax. While I don't like being lied to (I don't know which side is lying), I do believe in caring for our Mother Earth. This is our home. I respect the planet. I am an Eco farmer. I don't use chemicals. I don't lock up my animals. They are pastoral. I grow my food in soil rich in my own composted materials. I grow with the seasons & work with the land, not against it. I desperately want people to care about our planet. But is global warming real? I just don't know. Last, the author thinks that women should take the place of men in business, politics, government, & religion. I can understand this to a certain degree because most women don't have the "I have to prove I have the biggest ding dong" problem that most men have, but I hardly see women solving the worlds problems. Personally as a woman, I find when men & women work together as equals we have the greatest success. Both sexes have much to offer & it provides a beautiful harmony. Neither sex is perfect, but together we can accomplish great things.  Many Great Projects For Kids & Adults Gardening for Kids: Learn, Grow, and Get Messy with Fun STEAM Projects by Brandy Stone
Initially I was thrilled with this book & for the most part, I do still like it, but I feel it could have been better. Perhaps I am spoiled by books like The Unplugged Family Activity Book and The Organic Artist for Kids. Granted neither of these books is about gardening per se, but they do still get the whole family engaged in the outdoors. I'm sure if you break down many of the projects in the two books I mentioned, they'd have plenty of STEAM components to them. I suppose my biggest problem with this book is that too many of them have kids make nothing more than junk using plastic crap & paints. What is odd to me is that in one of the nice projects in this book, it teaches how to get particular colors out of plants & to use them as paints. Why not use these paints rather than conventional store bought paints? Isn't that more fitting? This use of plastics & other garbage producing supplies are my only real complaint about this book. Shouldn't teaching kids about gardening go hand in hand with preserving the environment? Now that I got the bad out of the way, let's get into everything that is great about this book & trust me folks, there's plenty. The very first test is brilliant in it's simplicity & has been suggested many times before for adults to use to get a basic idea of their soils type. It is titled Simple Fizzy Soil. This test lets you see the composition of your soil. How much of it is clay, silt, or sand? Is your soil acidic, alkaline or neutral? Another test gardeners have used over the centuries is the Sprout Old Seeds project. This is another simple project that teaches kids about germination rates & even includes a little an extra credit project to teach kids how seedlings (aka stems) always grow up & roots always grow down. How about the Seed Tape Garden Design? Again, this isn't just for kids. Why buy more expensive seed tape at the store when you can easily make your own at home? This is a really fun project for kids as they get to learn how to not only create the seed tape but also how to plan the spacing of the seeds & then get to plant them & learn about their growth cycle. Space Saving Spiral Garden is a beautiful project. You can make it however you want, in a raised bed, big or small. It allows plenty of room for creativity while also teaching kids how to plan to plant seeds based on different micro climates within the spiral garden. Food Scrap Sprouting I expect if you have a social media account you've seen various memes with folks showing off their food scraps. It works & is such a fun way to teach kids about growing foods. It also teaches them how to figure out why this method doesn't work with all food scraps. My favorite part about this project is the one that teaches how to make your own sweet potato slips. After getting my first organic slips from an organic seed supplier (see resources) I have since made my own slips every year from the last seasons harvest. Do Your Tomatoes Need A Best Friend? This project is all about companion planted. The project, like many of the other projects in this book, is brilliant in it's simplicity. What plants get along, what plants don't, how does a plant grow alone verses with a friend? Assemble A Team Of Garden Superheros This is all about creating a beneficial insect garden aka a butterfly garden, a bee oasis, etc. This allows for ample creativity & enjoyment. Worm Tower Soil Conditioner aka vermicomposting. This project lets kids get busy with worms making a worm home (what the author calls a tower) that is buried in the garden. If you've ever had your eye on worm bins, you know exactly what this is. Garden Grow Pigment Paint this shows kids how to make paint using various plants, berries, etc. along with an acid. Kids can see what colors are created from the different plant matter & are sure to be surprised by the results. Floral Studio Photography this teaches kids how to create their own light & dark back drops, & how to place their plants by seeing the results of their actions through photography. Strawberry Salsa Science is a bit of a cooking lesson that kids can really get into mixing various ingredients to see how they alter the taste of a finished dish. Note: Above are many of the projects, but I didn't list them all. I only mentioned the ones I am particularly fond of & as you can clearly see, there are a lot. Each lesson provides the STEAM connection or an I DIG IT! section when applicable. For example in the "Space Saving Spiral Garden" project the STEAM connection is the following: Spiral gardens create microclimates - areas where the soil moisture, sun exposure, & temperature are very different than in surrounding areas. A good example of a microclimate is a valley in a hot, dry desert. The shade in the valley creates cooler temperatures than the surrounding desert. Cold air sinks into the valley & gets trapped, creating moist air. Just like a small valley, the shady sides for a spiral garden are god for shade - loving plants while the areas facing the sun are good for sun-loving plants. An example of the I DIG IT! section in the "Sprout Old Seeds" is the following: Germination is the process a seed goes through to start growing into a plant. germination happens when everything is just right; the seed has the warmth, air, & water it needs to make its seed coat swell up & break. Seed coasts are a barrier to damage, cold, heat, & bacteria. They are adapted to their environment & protect the baby plant until conditions are suitable. When you provide a seed with the perfect mix of water, air, & warmth, you help the seed germinate! The back of the book provides a 'My Garden Journal' page, a 'Gardening Lab Record' page, & a two page 'Gardening Assignment Chart'. These can all be downloaded as well. Overall, this is a great book to help get kids off their bums & devices & back into nature where they can thrive. As a full time Eco Farmer I have directly seen the results of "city kids" on my farm & frankly, they loose their little minds & many actually cry when they have to leave. If that doesn't tell you kids need to be outdoors in nature, I don't know what does.  Incredible. I Thought I Knew All I Needed To Know. I Learned So Much. The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease - And The Statin-Free Plan That Will by Jonny Bowden, PHD, CNS & Stephan Sinatra, MD, FACC
I consider myself rather knowledgeable when it comes to health & nutrition. I've been studying it for 2 decades. The thing is, while I knew the majority of what was said in this excellent book (nutrition/diet info. much more so then information on medications), having it laid out so clearly & by real medical doctors made some points so much more clear to me. For example, I think by now everyone knows sugar is bad for them. This book shows us that it is so bad, we are better off if we never consume a single tiny crystal. The harm sugar is doing to our bodies almost immediately after consumption is frightening. I mean, gee, I know sugar is bad. But hey, all things in moderation right? Wrong. It seems with sugar there is no safe amount. I have been loosely following a combination of a low FODMAPs/AIP diet to help manage my Endometriosis (I know this isn't about the heart, but it is about inflammation, so it's relevant). I found Sara Ballantyne PhD to be very helpful in this regard (she has several books if you want to look them up). Even she advises against sugar, but in general, I never felt the real danger from sugar. I thought, okay so maple sugar, black strap molasses, & honey. These are suggested because they have trace nutrients compared to table sugar. But hey now! I am sensitive to FODMAPs so what's the big deal with some certified organic sugar so I don't have GI issues? Not only that, but boy oh boy organic maple sugar crazy expensive. Now I learn that it's the fructose in sugar that makes it so darn bad. In fact according to this book, there is only a 5% difference in fructose content between table sugar & high fructose corn syrup. We've all been warned of the dangers of HFCS, yet the authors of this book flat out say the difference between table sugar & HFCS is so slim, they are essentially the same, IE, they are both equally dangerous. Now onto my middle aged husband. He has borderline high blood pressure. He is overweight, but not obese. I try very very very very hard to get him to eat healthy. Thanks to my AIP lifestyle, I tend to make a lot of lower carb meals. My breakfast is fish baked over lemons with a sprinkle of sea salt & a little organic butter flavored coconut oil (I can't digest the protein in dairy, another symptom of my autoimmune disease). My husband sometimes does okay with eggs & toast. Other times awful with sugary coffee & sugary kids cereal. When I do my Sunday bulk cooking for week long ready to eat meals they will consist of things like meatballs made using turmeric, no breads or starches, no crumbs, etc. & a big batch of spaghetti squash rather than pasta. Or stew with no white potatoes or noodles. My job is running my Eco farm full time. I grow & raise at least half of everything we consume. We also hunt. You'd think we'd have super healthy diets. Sadly, it's not working out that way. My husband wants his carbs & his sugar. For example he will add a generous serving of pasta to what I make or dump a bunch of store bought spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, or ketchup onto a low carb meal I made. All these processed organic foods contain sugars. I totally get the sugar love. I'm bad about it myself (for sweets only), but after this book, I'm determined to get off the sugar death trap. I do understand why he eats these things. It's why everyone eats them. They are deliciously addictive. I try to educate him. He thinks he eats healthy. I don't want to fight. I'm scared of him having a heart attack or stroke. I'm not even sure if surviving such an event would get him to change his diet. I hope I never have to find out. My 'Husband Solution' is to work on the supplements listed in this book to give my husband something to counterbalance his destructive eating habits & hope for the best. I already found a multivitamin on amazon by Dr. Sinatra that I subscribe & saved to. I'm working on ordering other supplements as well. My husband isn't lazy. Having a farm makes that impossible. It's the diet that is so bad. Everything is organic, but really, so what? It just has less chemical crap in it than the absolute trash that is called conventional food. It may seem like I've gone on a lot about sugar, but in the book, the authors do too. It is a very big deal. The book does also discus medications, diet, lifestyle factors, mental health etc. I've never been a fan of medications so this was pretty easy for me & none of the information was the least bit surprising. Frustrating to be sure. But there is a real pigheadedness with conventional medicine. Conventional Doctors are total pill pushers. It's their solution to everything, even when it doesn't work. It's why I stopped going to the doctor. I know a time will come when I need a conventional doctor. That will be when I break a bone or have a tumor. But for overall health & well being, I only trust conventional doctors to make me feel worse or even possibly create more health problems than what I arrived with. This book is refreshing because it focuses on Integrative Medicine. When I was in my 20's this wasn't recognized like it is now. I had to battle with my health insurance to get coverage for nearly anything of this nature, yet Integrative Medicine doctors are what actually helped me get better. Conventional Medicine failed me every single time. Oh sorry, they didn't fail me once. I broke my arm when I was 5. I'll give them that & only that. Even if you think you eat great & don't have high blood pressure or any sort of cardiovascular concerns, you want to read this book. I have low blood pressure. Aside from my autoimmune disease I appear to be very healthy. But this book shows me that I could do better, much better. In fact, if I don't I could have problems or could already have problems & not even know it, like diabetes. This is real folks & it's scary. But the excellent part is that we can actually do something about it! It's not all doom & gloom. There is a solution & it doesn't take prescription pills, it takes you! The Complete Guide to Pickling: Pickle and Ferment Everything Your Garden or Market Has to Offer12/1/2020
 It Doesn't Cover Everything & A Lot Of Recipes Must Be Refrigerated, But It Still Has Some Great Recipes The Complete Guide to Pickling: Pickle and Ferment Everything Your Garden or Market Has to Offer by Julie Laing
As a full time Eco farmer, I was hoping for more recipes that didn't require refrigeration. Nourishing Traditions was my first introduction to fermentation which gave me the bug to learn more & lead me to Wild Fermentation. From there, I was making my own & never refrigerated anything. I'm still here, so I guess I did something right. I'm also not against canning something that has been pickled/fermented. It does kill some of the beneficial bacteria, but enough remain to have a healthy product, plus, the fermentation process increases the bodies ability to digest the food, so again, more nutrition even canned. Another issue for me at least is that many recipes will only last a day or two in the fridge or even one or two weeks. Some last months, others up to a year (usually canned). Most though, seem rather perishable & need refrigeration. Like the author, I live in a tiny log cabin. Mine is a historic late 1700's log cabin. I have no room for anything. A second refrigerator has to reside in my main living space to store my finished ferments. As it is, we sometimes have to use an extra freezer & it sits next to the couch. It doesn't create a comfortable living space. I feel like I'm in my barn. I do what I can to put up the food I grow in ways that do not require an extra refrigerator or freezer. I was initially excited about the title claiming I could "pickle and ferment everything my garden... has to offer". Nope. Almost, but not everything. The main thing I had in mind was parsnips. Maybe I'm crazy & parsnips aren't suitable for pickling or fermenting. I don't know. It's just that when you say, "everything" I'm expecting everything! I am also disappointed in the lack of photos. I'm not talking food porn. I'm talking about photos that help the reader understand the process. For example, when discussing various molds, how about photos showing the types of molds? Photos in the troubleshooting section would be very helpful to newbies. I understood what the author was talking about thanks to experiencing these things, but what about the folks just getting started? Pictures help; a lot. Chapter Two is Quick Pickles. All recipes are refrigerated to keep fresh. The Japanese Style Pickled Cucumbers are delicious, but only hold for a mere 3 days in the refrigerator. It's so disappointing because you have to keep making it much too often for my tastes in order to continue to enjoy it. The Carrot and Daikon Radish is another I have tried & enjoyed. It will hold in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. Which is an improvement. Chapter Three is Fresh Pickles. This includes recipes for both canned & refrigerated produce. I will be trying the Water Bath-Processed Beets & Pickled Chive Blossoms next spring. I am in the process of making the Pickled Garlic Cloves which is super simple & hopefully turns out tasty (lasts months refrigerated). There is also a recipe for Sushi Ginger that I'm excited about. I love Gari & it will keep up to 6 months. Chapter Four is Fermented Pickles. To me this is where the fun is really at. You have your traditional Sauerkraut, Apple and Cabbage Kraut, Classic Kimchi, etc. I made the Preserved Lemons which lasts 6 months in the refrigerator. What a delicious twist. I'm a citrus junkie & totally bonkers over lemon, so I am a bit biased, but I do hope you try it. There is even a Short Fermented Potato recipe. I wont be trying it, but this was a first for me. I don't eat nightshades, but for someone who does, it might be fun to try out. Chapter Five is Relish, Hot Sauce, and Other Condiments. I haven't made anything out of this section yet. And I doubt I ever will. If you like it hot, she has a Fermented Red Hot Sauce & Chile Paste that might be right up your alley. Chapter Six is Sweet and Fruity Pickles. There are some very interesting recipes in this. I like the option to put up some of my farms sweets without resorting to making jam or just canning whole/sliced, but none of these will last as long as I'd like. Miso Brined Apples (keeps 1 week refrigerated), Jerk Spiced Banana Pickles (keeps for weeks refrigerated), Sweet Spiced Black Berries (keeps for only 3 days refrigerated!), Sweet and Tart Blueberries - this uses lavender. I will be trying this out over the summer when my blueberries are ripe. It keeps for a couple of weeks refrigerated. I do wish it kept for longer. Chapter Seven is Pickled Fish, Eggs, Beverages, and Other Odds and Ends. This is another fun section, but most recipes are to be consumed right away which is very disappointing. There are two pickled egg recipes. I love pickled eggs. They are so convenient. I think of them as a farmers fast food. Healthy & satisfying. They last about 10 days in the refrigerator. She also includes Shrubs. They are the closest thing to soda before soda. Shrubs are a lot of fun & they last for a couple of months refrigerated. There is also a Switchel recipe. This is great any time of the year, but right now with Covid19, it's even more reason to have some at hand. It utilizes apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, ginger & lemon. So good. Super strong, but so good. Make up a batch of elderberry syrup to go along with it & keep your immune system strong. Switchel lasts about a month refrigerated (so does elderberry syrup), but you should go through it long before then. I would also like to mention the physical book itself. The binding is a nightmare. I had to break the binding for virtually every page in order to get it to stay open. I love books & abhor damaging them, but with this book I had no choice. The spine is now a twisted mess. The publishers need to really think about this. Spiral bound or hard cover with binding that allows the book to lay flat would be much more realistic & appropriate. While this isn't all I could have hoped for, it does have enough good recipes to help me add some variety to my crops which is always nice. If you have no experience with pickling or fermenting, you might want to try a book with more photos to help you out first, then go with this one. Or what the heck, you can always just jump right in with this book & see where it takes you.  I Finally Met A Zero Waste Book I Don't Like How To Go (Almost) Zero Waste: Over 150 Steps to More Sustainable Living at Home, School, Work, and Beyond by Rebecca Grace Andrews
This book turned out to be a huge disappointment. There is so much I don't like about this book. I can go through it giving endless examples & I'll do just that, but first, to keep it simple, you don't need this book. What you need is Google & The Environmental Working Group. The author tells you to go online for virtually everything. You don't need this book. Don't do it. You'll just be adding more waste. So far out of all the Zero Waste books I've read, I loved An Almost Zero Waste Life by Megean Weldon. Even the book has an Eco friendly feel to it. That book is totally worth getting. It is my absolute favorite so far & has earned a spot on my shelf. At first this book was off to a good start. In chapter one she argues why we should all try to produce less trash. "The World Counts website cited these statistics: In the first four months of 2020,... 2 million people died from outdoor air pollution,... 1 million died of indoor air pollution... more than 1 million people died from lack of access to clean water." Let's think about that, 4 million people or 1 million people per month died. It got me thinking of the COVID19 situation & it seems to me a polluted planet is the bigger killer. Not that I don't take COVID19 seriously, but it's certainly worth thinking about. The author also briefly discusses recycling & I was glad that she mentioned how recycling isn't as great as folks seem to think it is. After all recycling takes a lot of resources & not everything can be recycled. The best thing to do is to avoid created waste in the first place. Obviously we can't be 100% Zero Waste, but every little thing we do to create less is that much more we are doing to benefit ourselves directly, the health of our planet, & every living thing on our planet. In the ultra short chapter two she gives 20 excellent swaps you can do to reduce waste. In the rest of the book she slowly starts to loose me. She pushes going Vegan. That's great if it works for her, but that lifestyle isn't realistic for some of us & I am one of those people. If it works for you, that's wonderful! I was Vegan for many years. My health plummeted. I went AIP & my health improved overnight. I am not exaggerating. My needs aside, my irritation with this goes far beyond the "meat pollutes" diatribe. CFO meats absolutely do pollute. They are horrible. No animal should ever have to live that way. Pasture raised however, does not pollute. Pasture raised is the exact opposite. It is good for the environment. The planet needs pasture raised animals! That is the natural way of life. What kills me is the author mentions pasture raised & still insists the planet is better off if you don't eat any meat, even pasture raised. It's biased. I live next to a huge farm (by huge I'm referring to the amount of land) that raises beef cattle. They are all pasture raised. It's beautiful. It doesn't smell. The animals are never given grain. They rotate happily from pasture to pasture. They are not crowded. I walk past them in the morning, see the steam rising off their backs, listen to the sound of their breathing, the sound as they bite some grass & chew, while calmly watching me as I walk by. I've witnessed them giving birth in the pasture. They even play as they get older. How gently they are cared for. I am fortunate to have such a beautiful view from my own pastoral farm. If you are wondering, I do not raise meat animals. I do run my own Eco farm full time. Nothing is more beautiful or backbreaking than living on the land. She discusses going organic, avoiding GMO's, supporting local farmers markets, cooking your own meals, using reusable bags, changing the cleaning products you use, etc. All good things. But remember, go online for in depth ideas & suggestions. Insert eye roll here. She mentions the importance of avoiding fragrance/parfum. I am constantly looked at like a nut when I avoid a product that contains fragrance. Here's why, "...'fragrance" can be a combination of 3,1000-plus chemicals." Need I type more? I got the impression the author doesn't even practice a lot of what she preaches. She makes a suggestion then tells you that you can find ideas online. The entire book is like this. In one spot it was blatantly obvious that a shampoo bar she mentioned, she only used once or twice. In it she said "...my hair felt a bit gritty as I rinsed..." Meaning, she used it once to try it, but didn't like it. Why even mention a product you don't like? I got the distinct impression that the author doesn't use bar shampoo. I know I don't. I hate it. I have super long straight hair. I wash it every other day with the bulk sized Kiss My Face Whenever brand of shampoo that I subscribe & save to. Not Zero Waste, but a step up to be sure. Yeah, you can totally use bar shampoo. If you like it, go for it. I don't mean to bash at something I practice & believe in, but this book really rubbed me the wrong way. I've been living a greener life for nearly 2 decades. I have already done so many of these changes. They didn't all happen at once. It was gradual. Just like eating organic was gradual. Run out of something, replace it with organic or green. Eventually over the years you'll have made a complete 360 of your life & you wont even really notice it until you go to someone else's house & see the endless plastic containers, the constant trash, the noise & the chaos. A Zero Waste lifestyle goes hand in hand with Minimalism. We are bombard everyday to buy, buy, buy. With Fast Fashion, new electronics, "keeping up with the Jones's" etc. When you come right down to it, it's pretty stupid. People have so much stuff, they buy storage space to store more stuff. It just keeps piling up. Then with all the toxins in our foods, air, & water, our health is going down the toilet too. For our physical & mental health, minimalism & zero waste are so much healthier for ourselves & our planet. I also want to point out that Zero Waste or Minimalism is hardly for the "privileged." You spend so much less, because you buy so much less. Even if you go organic, you'll still have more money because you will be reusing products, cooking at home, gardening, mending, upcycling, etc. I am not rich. Oh my goodness no. Not even close. I am only mentioning this because I noticed the P word in a amazon review & was rather shocked by it. Spending less doesn't mean spending more unless you choose to spend more! If you've read this far, thanks for that! If you really are itching for a Zero Waste book, do yourself a favor & get the book I mentioned at the very beginning of this review. It's totally non judgy. The author offers realistic ideas & even recipes all in a really cute book. This book on the other hand, is just a repetitive slog telling you over & over to go to so & so website for whatever the author is suggesting you do. No recipes, no fun. Totally uninspiring. If you still are curious about this book, you might want to see if your library carries it first. If you actually like it, then you might want to buy it.  Good But Flawed Reference Book Grow yourself healthy: gardening to transform your gut health all year round by Beth Marshall For the most part, I like this book but there are areas that bother me, some more than others. The author focuses on fruits & vegetables, what I'll call plants that she feels are the most beneficial to ones microbiome. She touches on issues one can have with food restrictions & even mentions low FODMAPs. The mention here is that people who follow a low FODMAPs diet or similar type of diet are unhealthy & likely to suffer from more diseases. I was left with the impression that the author knows very little about low FODMAPs, nor that it is an actual medical diet, not a fad diet. Basically anyone who doesn't eat a diet rich in plant foods is likely to be sickly & the author seems to have no empathy as to the why behind the reasons some people cannot safely consume certain foods. This lack of empathy & flat out lack of real knowledge about the medical realities as to why some people need to eliminate certain food groups was a real downer & left me feeling chastised by the author. I have endometriosis. The more nightshades I eat (tomatoes, eggplant, goji berries, peppers, etc.) the more pain I am in. I learned this the hard way. I love many nightshades & was growing a lot of them on my Eco farm. I was also eating them in abundance. Trying to work on my farm on some days was impossible. I was taking over the counter pain pills & watching the clock so I could get my next "fix." The pain was relentless; stabbing, twisting, horrible agony. Since quitting nightshades, my pain is cut by an easy 75%. That's nothing to turn my nose up at. So what if my microbiota like nightshades? If consuming them make me wish for death, I'm not eating them. Regarding growing food crops. This is a tricky area. The author is UK based & "Manages the gardens on a 57 acre estate in Berkshire." This is important because the author & her family have a unique life in comparison to the majority. I am a full time Eco farmer. My farm is also my home. I'm also an American. I want to make it very clear that Eco farming is very hard work. It is a full time job. The author depicts an easy breezy lifestyle that I'm sick of seeing in so many gardening & back to the land types of books. They love to make it look so simple. Just sit back & watch the plants grow - not! The author even says, "Gardening is fun & relaxing..." To be fair, it can be. The smaller your garden, the more fun it is likely to be or if it's on the large size, the more help you have, the more you might enjoy it. But no matter the situation, gardening is dirty & back breaking. The weeds are relentless. The sun beats down on you & you are drenched in sweat, no swimming pool needed. The bugs bite you & destroy your crops. It. Is. Work. However, with the right attitude it can be worth it. There really is something deeply satisfying about growing your own foods. Should you decide to jump in to grow all the plants the author suggests, I want you to go into it with your eyes wide open. It wont be easy. Not at all. It doesn't end with the growing of things either. You must also harvest, clean, cook, & preserve what you grow. If you don't have time to cook your families meals, you will never have time to grow your families food. This is reality. Take a good hard look at yourself before you dive in. Of course, you don't have to grow it all. The author provides some cute option for growing in pots. Heck, you might just have one big pot on your balcony that you grow a small assortment of plants in to supplement your diet. Good for you. Whatever you decide, start small & take it from there. Take on what you can handle & stop when you realize you've reached the limit as to what you can comfortably handle. You have picked what plants you'd like to grow. Now it's time to plant right? Maybe not. You need to find out what your growing region is & figure out what plants can be grown in it. For example, I cannot grow a lemon tree, the winter will kill it. Or how about Swiss chard? The author says it grows through winter. Maybe for her it does, but it doesn't for me. Mine is dead come winter. Some plants roots will survive, but most don't. I cannot even harvest cold hardy kale in the winter months. It survives, but it's not pretty & it's not worth trying to eat. In the beginning of the book the author lists the nutrition information for various foods. What I almost immediately noticed was that the lists of foods that contain particular nutrients was incomplete. At first I thought this was a push for Veganism, but I did see some animal food listed, so I was a little thrown. I went into my book Paleo Principals which is a bible on food facts & nutrition. Sure enough, certain foods were left out of the equation. I don't know if this is due to a lack of knowledge on the authors part or a deliberate omission. I have been studying & reading up on health & nutrition for over 20 years. Out of the many books I've come across I have found The Paleo Approach & Paleo Principals to be the most useful. If you are Vegan, I understand you not wanting to bother with these books. I'm sorry I don't have a Vegan book suggestion for you. I was Vegan for many years & I was very sick during that time. Switching to an AIP diet provided an immediate improvement. It was & still is rather incredible to me. The author also includes a few fermentation recipes that require fermentation tools. I know some people get hung up on thinking they need all sorts of doodads to make stuff. Fermentation isn't always like that. Sauerkraut is one of the most basic & simple of ferments. Check out Sandor Katz's book Wild Fermentation for in depth recipes. Really all you need is to shred the cabbage, massage in salt, pound it into an non porous vessel or crock (I like glass mason jars) roll up clean outer leaves to press the cabbage under the brine & cover with breathable cloth that bugs can't penetrate. Let it ferment until it tastes how you like it. Then refrigerate for up to 6 months. Or, if you must, water bath can it (this will kill a lot of those beneficial critters but not all of them) using a Ball Blue Book (check your pricing & version on the Ball Blue Book before ordering, it could be cheaper elsewhere & it's updated often). It really is that simple. I want to mention FODMAPs again. If you are following a low FODMAPs diet note that the majority of the plants in this book are high in FODMAPs. What the author doesn't understand is that this is a temporary diet. As you work through what you can & cannot tolerate, you will see which high FODMAPs foods you can once again enjoy. Not only that, but remember, it's the quantity at each meal that contains high FODMAPs & your personal tolerance. The author says it's not healthy, but really with diligence & food challenges, it is healthy. Consuming foods you cannot tolerate is not healthy, no matter the authors opinion. I also want to mention the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). After a little over a decade of suffering, I finally mostly healed while on a AIP diet for 2 years. I then learned about FODMAPs & discovered which I could safely add & also learned the hard way about just how vicious nightshades (& to a lesser extent nuts like cashews - even sprouted) are on my body. Always trust your body. Don't do something if it makes you feel awful, no matter how much someone tells you it's the healthy thing to do. It might be healthy for them, but it could be akin to poison for you. With all of this said, I'm keeping this book as a reference. It has a lot of useful information focusing on how to get the most nutrients out of plants. I will not grow everything the author recommends. That's fine. I'll grow what I can eat & tolerate. I will also feel no shame if I must get some of my produce from the grocery store. I know that growing my own is healthier all around. But for what I can't/wont grow, I'm going grocery shopping; especially in the winter. I do love my fresh baby greens. I am fascinated by our microbiome. If you would like to explore the microbiome further that what's in this book, I highly recommend Gut by Jill Enders. Overall, this is a decent book as long as you understand growing regions, micro climates, & trust what your body tells you. It absolutely is worth having. Just make sure it's not the only book you read on the topic.  Great Suggestions For A More Sustainable Lifestyle An Almost Zero Waste Life: Learning How To Embrace Less To Live More by Megean Weldon I am always looking for ways to reduce my footprint on the earth. Going Zero Waste has always seemed pretty daunting & downright impossible. Seeing blog posts where said blogger shows a photo of one years worth of waste for a family of four & it fits in a jar. Um, what? How? Seriously, how? This question coming from me, an Eco farmer who has been living a pretty sustainable life for well over a decade. But even I haven't figured out how to create no garbage whatsoever. This book by Megean Weldon is much more realistic & as a result, optimistic. As the beginning of the book title says, "An almost zero waste life". Key word, almost. Finally someone who isn't going to say anyone can do the impossible by creating no garbage. Okay, wait. Yes, you could live naked in some secluded place, sort of like an animal. Maybe dig in garbage for stuff, but don't ever throw out said garbage. Hunt & forage for your food, etc. So, in theory, yes, we could go zero waste, but lets keep it realistic shall we? Running around naked is against the law nearly everywhere. Being homeless is generally frowned upon & really, who doesn't enjoy the comforts of home. Electricity, plumbing, being protected & cozy? Rather than be judgemental or just make the reader feel like a jerk who simply isn't trying hard enough, Megean gives the reader lots of wonderful ideas to try to implement in order to reduce waste. She even frees us by saying, being zero waste is impossible. Thank you Megean! For my own life, I am already implementing many of the suggestions in this book. I've had years to work on it after all. Some of the very suggestions now given by Megean were utilized at one point or another, but eventually given up on due to practicality. This doesn't mean what I have given up on wont be perfect for someone else. We are all individuals with unique personalities & lifestyles. The idea is to figure out what works for you. Megean makes sure to point out that you don't just do it all at once. That's not realistic. Think in baby steps. When you run out of something, rather than buy the same something, replace it with something that is zero waste or as close to it as possible. For example, replace your paper towels with rags. Not rags that you buy, but real rags from clothes you no longer wear for whatever reason. I prefer to cut up only clothing made from natural materials (& as a result try to buy only natural clothing), but anything will do. Then launder the rags & use over & over. Nothing to buy, nothing to add to the landfill. The bonus is, by reducing your footprint, you also reduce your spending. Zero Waste living is very much like Living Simply or Living With Less. In keeping with a smaller footprint, even this book by it's design & materials follows the ideas behind the Zero Waste movement. I always found it a bit hypocritical to write books of this type only to use toxic highly polluting materials to create the book. Oh the irony. Not only is this book super useful, it's adorable & "green". Out of the the ten or so books my bibliophile self ordered in the past month or so, this is hands down my favorite & a real keeper, earning it a permanent spot on my shelf.  Great Book For Beginners No-Waste Organic Gardening: Eco friendly Solutions to Improve Any Garden by Shawna Coronade
I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book as a full time Eco farmer. Silly silly me. I guess the word "garden" should have clued me in. If you are an experienced Eco gardener you'll probably want to give this a pass (or see if your library has it first before buying). I learned nothing from this book that I didn't already know, have tried, or am already doing. For those of you new to gardening, you will likely find this a wealth of information, as it is full of excellent low cost advice. Pick a spot in your back yard, front yard, or both (if zoning allows), decide what type of soil you'd like to work with (till or no till - hint: you want no till), or use pots & planters if you have no space to work with. You will learn about different types of compost; how to create & use said compost. There are also tips on dealing with bugs. The author is a big fan of Castile soap which she seems to believe is an oil free soap (page 31). Castile soap is typically made with either olive, coconut, palm or some other vegetable oil; it is not oil free. She covers a lot of topics besides the ones I just mentioned & they are all worth trying out to see what works for you. Growing food & flowers is a learning experience (as is raising critters). You will never know everything. Mother Nature has a way of showing us growers just how little we know each & every year. I tell people that the more I learn, the more I realize that I know nothing. Not really, of course, I've learned a lot, but it really does feel that way. Orchard produce, like berry bushes, grapes, & fruit trees are not covered. Note: Eco gardening is a lot of work. I repeat, Eco gardening is a lot of work. Most of it is hand weeding. Don't say I didn't warn you. In the end, I hope you decide to stick with it. All that hard work has it's rewards, esp. in the middle of winter when you have all that glorious bounty put up. By January you'll be pursuing the seed catalogues, hard work forgotten in anticipation for the next growing season, which is full of endless possibilities. Conclusion, this is a fantastic book for aspiring gardeners, wanting to organically produce their own veggies & flowers with a smaller footprint on our Mother Earth.  I Want To Love It But It Contains Incorrect Information The Homesteaders Guide To Growing Herbs: Learn to Grow, Prepare, and Use Herbs by Kristine Brown
I run my own small Eco family farm full time. I've been doing it for over a decade & have been growing herbs & gardening even longer. I'm not a herbalist, but one does learn a thing or two by doing. I was very excited to receive this book. As always, I geek out over anything to do with herbs & growing things. Making tinctures & other goodies is another great pleasure of mine. Aside from recipes for humans, the author provides recipes for livestock & pets (of which I have all three categories). Words simply cannot adequately express just how eager I was to dive into this book. Off I go reading this book. I'm thrown here & there, questioning the accuracy of some things. My thoughts were, She's the herbalist and she studied with Rosemary Gladstar, so surely she is right & I am wrong. Fine enough but when I see that she claims elderberry bushes grow to 25' (that's twenty five feet!), I really had to put on the breaks. I grow my own elderberry bushes. They don't grow that big. They max out at about 12.5'; about half the height she claims. Sorry, but I've never had an elderberry bush grow taller than my house. I tell myself this is likely a typo & continue to read. Then I get to wormers. OMG. She's killing me. Not dewormers. Wormers. So I guess I'm giving my animals worms then am I? No, this is to remove or kill the worms. Therefore it's de-worm. Ugh. I also want to point out that this isn't about just herbs. She has black walnut (tree), elderberry (bush), onion (vegetable), peach (tree), raspberry (admittedly, raspberry leaf is considered an herbal, typically taken as tea or tincture), rose (bush), willow (tree), etc. Personally, I enjoy these additional foods, but I can understand it causing confusion & maybe even anger if one is looking for herbs. These additional foods have medicinal benefits & that is why they are in this book. The book really should have been given a different title as to not mislead. 'The Homesteader's Guide to Growing' is 100% correct, the remainder of the title is misleading (& it features the largest text ~sigh~). This is geared towards homesteaders which is me. This doesn't mean there isn't useful information for someone who doesn't homestead. There are so many recipes I'd love to try, but rather than trust what is in the book, I must first research it first for safety. I'm so disappointed. I have very mixed feelings towards this book as a result. Part of me adores it. Another part of me fears it for the potential risks should there be incorrect information & I do not realize it. I have autoimmune disease & must be very careful with what my body is exposed to. Living my holistic & organic lifestyle greatly helps me manage my disease. Unless you are highly experienced in herbal medicine, I probably wouldn't get this book (I really hate to say that). But I'm going to guess that if you are highly experienced, you wont need this book. |
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 Hi there! My name is Jen. I'm a "tree hugging dirt worshiper" who has been organically farming for nearly two decades. It never ceases to amaze me at how much I've learned & how much I am still learning. I have studied natural health, nutrition, & herbs for nearly three decades. Our health & the natural world around us are connected in ways we don't often realize. How we treat the land & animals directly affects us in both body & mind. My goal is to provide others with truly natural humane goods from my own little piece of paradise, & to freely pass along whatever knowledge I pick up along the way. I am grateful every day to be able to have such a worthwhile & fulfilling job surrounded by the beauty & unpredictability of Mother Nature.
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